Syrian man gets 2 years in prison for trafficking kids via Schiphol

A Syrian man was sentenced to two years in prison, four months of which conditionally suspended, for trafficking children through Schiphol. Between December 2016 and February 2018 the man smuggled five children from Greece, through Schiphol and into the Netherlands, AT5 reports.

According to the Public Prosecutor, the man himself is an asylum seeker from Syria. He told the court that he wanted to help separated families by bringing their children to them. He called the trafficking an expression of "charity", according to the broadcaster.

The court did not believe him. Thousands of euros were involved in the trafficking. He also took his own children along while smuggling the other kids, to give the appearance of a 'traveling family' more credibility, according to the court. "Human trafficking contributes to the maintenance of an illegal circuit, while the image and the position of the 'real' asylum seeker can be harmed", the verdict reads.

Whether the five trafficked children and their families are still in the Netherlands, is unclear.