GETTY In 2015 Romanians were the most prolific smugglers, with 350 rounded up

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Millions of migrants have either made their way to western Europe, are stuck in camps at borders or have died while trying to make the perilous crossing. The latest figures show hundreds of thousands are still attempting to cross the continent, with a rise in traffickers jumping on the migrant smuggling bandwagon. Europol, European Union’s law enforcement agency, recently released figures documenting the shifting trends in the illegal trade. With more than 12,000 new suspects reported to Europol so far this year, a statement from the agency said: "Between early 2015 and the summer of 2016, the picture of migrant smuggling to and within the EU has undergone significant changes." When compared with a year ago, the nationalities of the smugglers has undergone a drastic shift.

In 2015 Romanians were the most prolific smugglers, with 350 rounded up. This was closely followed by Egyptians, with 336 in custody, then Syrians with 261 detained. But this year, Romanians have dropped down to third place - with 216 caught - while Turks pole-vaulted into first place with a staggering 423 found to be engaged in people smuggling.

GETTY The latest figures show hundreds of thousands are still attempting to cross the continent

They came in ninth last year with just 107 Turkish nationals found to be people smuggling, a rise of 295 per cent. Covering this year up until the end of August, Syrians jumped from third to second place, with 364 caught - a rise of 39 per cent. Romanian smugglers decreased by 38 per cent, and Polish traffickers also dropped by 47 per cent.

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But Ukrainian traffickers rose by 157 per cent, with 149 caught this year. In a bid to stem the flow of migrants, the EU struck a controversial deal with Turkey. In exchange for political sweeteners such as visa-free access to the Schengen zone for Turkish people, Ankara agreed a ‘one-in-one-out’ system for migrants trying to cross into Greece.

EUROPOL urks pole-vaulted into first place with a staggering 423 found to be engaged in people smuggling

The picture of migrant smuggling to and within the EU has undergone significant changes Europol

Implemented in March, it is aimed at halting the mass movement of migrants into Europe by sending those who do not apply for asylum or if their claim is rejected back to Turkey. This is a likely explanation for the meteoric rise in Turkish smugglers, as new ways are found around security measures implemented by governments, leading to ever-shifting routes. A statement from Europol said: “The nationalities of these suspects reflect the evolution of the migratory routes as smuggling networks tend to use local nationals to facilitate the transport and accommodation of irregular migrants.

"Smugglers have demonstrated a constant ability to adapt to stricter border controls and use new routes and modi operandi to evade law enforcement attention and maintain their highly profitable business. "Bottlenecks and informal camps have emerged at intra-Schengen border areas where stricter controls have been implemented (Idomeni, Dunkirk, Como etc.). "As a result these have become a preferred place for smugglers to advertise their services to stranded migrants, increasingly offering fraudulent documents to allow them to move forward into the EU."

GETTY The central Mediterranean route remained the primary path into Europe

Previous smuggling rings smashed by the authorities reveal some migrants are being charged as much as £500 to get into western Europe. And thousands have died at sea while trying to make treacherous crossings in rickety dinghies and fishing boats. Stats from Europol reveal 272,070 tried to make the journey via sea so far this year, and overall people smuggling increased by eight per cent.

While the central Mediterranean route remained the primary path into Europe, with the main migratory flow passing through Italy, Switzerland and Austria, alternative routes via air, sea and land were being explored. Europol said: "One key development is the shift in migrant smuggling routes used to enter the EU and reach preferred destination countries. "In the past weeks, crossings along the Eastern Mediterranean route have increased, whereas the Central Mediterranean route continues to be the primary entry route for migrant smuggling into the EU in 2016."

GETTY Romanian smugglers decreased by 38 per cent, and Polish traffickers also dropped by 47 per cent