The Swiss police have opened investigation into people smuggling allegation against a 27-year-old Gambian man arrested outside the Swiss city of Lucerne on suspicion of human trafficking, JollofNews can report.
The Swiss police said it found 23 refugees at the rear of a van in central Switzerland.
The refugees were reportedly from Afghanistan, Syria, Bangladesh and India.
“They were very tightly packed together but alive,” police in Canton Nidwalden were quoted as saying on Tuesday.
The refugees were said to have been intercepted during a check on heavy goods traffic on A2 motorway outside Lucerne city.
The Italian-registered van reportedly departed northern Italy for France and its passengers were reported to be aged between 20 and 50.
The men were reportedly standing for hours without a stop with the van having no window for ventilation.
The man arrested for attempting to smuggle them through Switzerland to European countries is said to be a 27-year-old Gambian.
A criminal investigation has been launched against him for human trafficking.
He denied knowingly transporting the 23 people.
