From: Middle East Eye
The deal has made it too dangerous for some local smugglers to keep working, sending prices north and leading refugees to fill the gap
Milivoje Pantovic
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In Idomeni, the northern border between Greece and Macedonia where more than 11,000 people have been stuck for weeks, the smugglers have been out in full force since the controversial deal officially – slated as a major blow to smuggling rings in Turkey and Europe – began to be implemented and the first migrants sent back.
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While previously people who travel north with relative ease, the new restrictions mean that many get stuck for weeks or months. Some happen to learn the terrain well enough to show the way, while others are able to get work with smugglers as translators or assistants in a bid to secure enough funds to pay their own journey. A third alternative has also risen up, with refugees and migrants being forced into the lucrative cigarette smuggling business.
