Young Dutch drivers face years in Croatian jail over migrant smuggling

Croatian courts are handing down prison sentences of several years to young Dutch drivers caught smuggling migrants, as trafficking networks recruit heavily on social media. Since the beginning of 2026, 46 Dutch nationals have been arrested in Croatia on suspicion of human trafficking, and more than 120 have been arrested over the past five years.

Key facts

• 46 Dutch nationals arrested in Croatia since the start of 2026 for suspected human trafficking
• More than 120 Dutch nationals arrested in Croatia over the past five years
• Drivers were offered up to 7,000 euros per trip in one case
• Croatian courts have moved from fines of 15,000 to 20,000 euros to prison terms of several years
• More than 12,500 people used the Balkan route in 2025, down 42 percent on 2024

What is happening?

Young Dutch men, often recruited through Snapchat and Telegram with promises of easy money, are being arrested while driving undocumented migrants from Croatia to neighbouring Slovenia or from Bosnia and Herzegovina. The figures for 2026 were revealed by the Dutch media outlet RTL Nieuws.

One Dutchman named Jonathan, who is imprisoned in Croatia, said he was offered 7,000 euros to transport migrants and hoped the money would pay off his debts. Journalists from RTL Nieuws who posed as drivers interested in the journey reported that smugglers stressed the profits and played down the dangers.

How do the smugglers recruit drivers?

Contacted by phone, the smugglers claimed the journeys were easy, simple and safe, lasting between one and a half and three hours at most, with no checkpoints or borders to cross. If stopped by police, they advised drivers to say they were picking up hitchhikers.

The reality was different. Jonathan, who expected to collect only a few people, had to take at least nine migrants into his car at the border between Bosnia and Herzegovina and Croatia. A friend contacted by RTL Nieuws said the passengers were crying because they were packed in so tightly.

What are the risks for drivers?

Lawyer Zenzi Ophof of the legal collective Dutch & Detained said the young drivers are vulnerable and often deceived. Once in Croatia, she said, they face pressure to make additional trips, and some reported being threatened if they refused.

Dutch prosecutor Petra Hoekstra said people underestimate the risks and consequences, noting that people have died of asphyxiation on these trips and that some are getting rich off the backs of migrants and sometimes drivers. Europol, the European police agency, said online recruitment of drivers is an increasingly common method, and that drivers often know little about how the wider network operates, which complicates efforts to identify the organisers.

What penalties do drivers face in Croatia?

Croatian judges have increased the severity of their sentences. Courts previously imposed fines of 15,000 to 20,000 euros; they are now handing down prison sentences of several years.

What this means for travellers

Young travellers in Croatia and along the border with Bosnia and Herzegovina should be aware that recruitment offers made through social media can lead to arrest and imprisonment in Croatia. The source describes drivers being recruited with promises of large payments for short trips, then pressured to carry more people than expected.

Croatia is a major transit country for undocumented migrants attempting to reach Western Europe via the Balkans, with people coming primarily from Afghanistan, Pakistan, Syria and Iraq. Frontex, the European border guard agency, recorded more than 12,500 people using the Balkan route in 2025, a figure 42 percent lower than in 2024.