Zagreb court sentences Moroccan national to four years for migrant smuggling

A 29-year-old Moroccan national, identified as H. E., has been sentenced by the Zagreb Municipal Court to four years in prison for smuggling 18 migrants in December 2024 near Zagreb and Zaprešić.

The defendant faces charges including illegal entry, movement, and stay in Croatia, as well as coercion of an official. In addition to the prison term, the court ordered the forfeiture of 880 euros seized during his arrest and the permanent seizure of his 2015 Opel Vivaro van, which will become the property of the Republic of Croatia.

During the trial, the defendant denied all charges, claiming he acted out of fear and panic because he does not speak Croatian. He argued that he had no intention of endangering the migrants or attacking police officers, noting that he had purchased water for the passengers at a gas station. He also contested the lack of a formal traffic expert report to verify his driving speed and the intensity of the impact during the incident.