How much do truck drivers who admit to smuggling for organized crime groups earn?

A Romanian police official has revealed how organized crime groups recruit truck drivers for smuggling and how much they are paid. According to him, the risks are extremely high, while the financial rewards are small compared to the value of the cargo being transported.

Truck drivers in Romania are increasingly becoming targets of criminal networks, which try to convince them to transport illegal goods, even drugs.

In exchange, they are offered various amounts of money, but the consequences can be very serious – from long prison sentences to kidnappings and torture, warns an official from the Romanian Brigade for Combating Organized Crime (BCCO).

According to him, criminal groups are looking for experienced drivers who know European transport routes well and regularly cross borders without arousing suspicion.

They are asked to transport a "package" or allow an illegal load to be hidden in the truck. In many cases, drivers claim not to know, or not to want to know, what the load contains.

How are drivers recruited?

According to the official, recruitment most often takes place at ports and large parking lots where international carriers stop, while trucks wait to be loaded or unloaded, Adevarul writes.

People who contact drivers offer them money to transport a package or to hide illegal goods in the truck. They are interested in the route, the countries the driver will pass through, and the time of arrival at the destination.

The most sought-after are experienced drivers who are familiar with border crossings, customs procedures, and parking lots along international routes. Their job is to continue the journey normally and notify the contact once they arrive at their destination.

How much are they paid?

The amount they receive depends on the type of goods being smuggled. However, many drivers choose not to ask questions about the contents of the load.

"There have been cases where a driver has said: 'Do whatever you want, I don't care. Give me 5,000 euros and when I get to Italy, I will call the person who will pick up the goods,'" the BCCO official recounts.

Although a few thousand euros may seem like an easy profit, police emphasize that this is a symbolic amount compared to the value of the goods being smuggled.

When it comes to drugs, the cargoes can be worth millions of euros, while the drivers only receive a few thousand euros, risking their freedom, wealth, and even their lives.

"We have had cases where Romanian citizens have been kidnapped and tortured," the official revealed.

For international drug smuggling, drivers risk up to 20 years in prison, even if they claim they did not know what they were transporting. /Telegraph/