People smugglers: Not all of them are doing it for profit

As European countries crack down on refugees and migrants gathering at their borders, desperation is growing. And this means big business for human smugglers. But it's not just paid smugglers helping families illegally find safety in Europe.

Brent talks to British photographer, blogger and author Russell Chapman about his decision to drive a Syrian family from Greece to Germany. He describes the tricks they used to outwit border officials and local police along the way, including at the Hungary-Serbia border.​ Chapman's story is featured in the latest edition of the U.K.'s The Big Issue and his book is called "Syria: Refugees and Rebels."

This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

Brent Bambury: Russell, what made you decide to help this family?

Russell Chapman: I was asked by a personal friend because two years ago I was actually inside Syria making a photo documentary of the war. He told me about the family and he asked if I would be prepared to help and I had to think about it because obviously there's the risk to myself because the journey across Europe is potentially very risky. But in the end, I decided I could literally be helping to save somebody's life. 

BB: So by the time you met up with them in Athens they had already been moved into Greece by Turkish smugglers. What kind of shape was the family in? 

RC: When I met them, they wanted to get out of Athens as quickly as possible.

BB:  And you piled them and all of their luggage into your car...

RC: Yeah, five people in the car!

BB: What was the game plan for getting them across Greece by way of Macedonia, what was the game plan for getting them across the border?

RC: The original plan was to cross the border into Bulgaria and avoid going Macedonia, Serbia, Hungary. And we almost did. I was told that if I declared immediately at the border that these were refugees who were seeking transit through the country, that there was a good likelihood we would be able to get through. One of the boarder guards I could see wanted to let us go, but had a colleague close by and he was as mad as hell. He was so angry. He basically said "You cannot give them hope. Do you know how dangerous you are? Do you know what would happen if others like you decided to do the same thing as you?"

BB: Is there a possibility he was right?

RC: No, he can't be right. Absolutely not, because what accident of birth put him in a quiet country that condemns others who were born into other countries shouldn't be allowed to have to same dignified existence?

BB: Some people would listen to your story and they will call you a people smuggler. Do you consider yourself to be a smuggler? 

RC: No, definitely not. Because people smugglers are doing this for profit. I was doing this to help.

BB: So you didn't make any kind of a profit then?

RC: No, God no. Absolutely not.

BB: With ISIS claiming that it has fighters infiltrating the refugees, and this week Hungarian police claiming that a terrorist was among a group of 29 migrants that were arrested during border clashes, do you worry that people like you, with good intentions, could inadvertently be helping the cause of of terrorists by bringing people across who haven't been screened?

RC: In this case, no, because I knew the background of the family. So there's absolutely no possibility of that whatsoever. And also I think ISIS saying that members are crossing with the refugees is very much overblown because to be honest, ISIS is a big international organization. It's got the funds. If it wants to send people into Europe, there are less risky ways for it to do so than sending them walking across borders into Hungary. 

BB: So take us back to your trip. You finally get to Hungary by way of Serbia, and when you do reach Hungary things become complicated. Tell us what happened.

RC: We arrived at the town of Horgos. The family had asked me to take them there because a friend of theirs had made the crossing two days previously.

I knew we were in the middle of a police operation.- Russell Chapman, photographer & author

BB: Was the town full of refugees?

RC: Absolutely, yeah they were everywhere. And like every half an hour there was another bus arriving with another 50 of them.

BB: So were you afraid? Did you believe that you were going to be able to get the people that you were trying to help across the border?

RC: To be honest, I told the family, "I really don't think this is a good place to cross." We'd seen the Serbian police rounding up refugees and putting them in vans and taking them away, so I knew we were in the middle of a police operation. I said to the family, "Look, not here, not tonight, let me take you somewhere quieter."

BB: How was the crossing supposed to work? Were they going to show papers to authorities? Or were they going to go through the woods? 

RC: No, no, no, they were going to sneak across in the dark.

BB: So you were going to cross legally?

RC: Yes, all I was doing was taking them to a drop-off point on the Serbian side of the border, they would make the crossing themselves. Then they would send me a message that they were actually crossing into Hungary. And I would drive and make the official crossing myself into Hungary.

BB: When you let the family out of the car to cross the border, were they going...

RC: Well actually, they were going through maize fields

BB: But a dark field at night.

RC: Yes, exactly. 

And sure enough, a police car stops behind me. The policeman gets out...- Russell Chapman, photographer & author

BB: So when you looked at them going into that field, did you feel that maybe you would never see them again?

RC: Yes, that was the big worry on my mind, that I would never see them again.

BB: So did you change your plans when you saw how chaotic the border was?

RC: I didn't have a choice and the reason is because the mother-in-law - and as much as I love her - is as stubborn as a mule. And basically when I said 'No, not here not tonight,' she was like "No I have to go, I'm going, nobody's stopping me." And she got out of the car! And of course, the rest of the family had no choice but to follow her. I thought, you know, this is not going to end well so I drive to the border crossing, it's now midnight and I was expecting quite a quick crossing but the traffic was backed up. It actually took me two hours to get across the border because the Hungarians were checking everybody, every car. You know, they were looking for refugees.

BB: And your car has foreign plates, but it also has the luggage of the people you're trying to help. So what happened at the border?

RC: Yeah, that was one of the thoughts that was going through my mind. So as I'm getting close to the checkpoint, there's a border guard. He's sort of walking around doing spot checks. He comes up to the window and he said "What you do?" And I said, "Sorry, excuse me? What do I do? Or what am I doing? There's a difference." And this threw him completely, you know, this is not an answer he was expecting, and he let me go. 

BB: So now you have to meet up with the family. 

RC: Yes exactly. So, I stop on this country road and I put on my hazard lights, my indicator lights. This was the agreed signal with the family. And sure enough, a police car stops behind me. The policeman gets out. He says, "What are you doing?" And I showed him the navigator on my phone and I said "Well, you know I've just crossed the border, I've been driving all night, I'm looking for hotel in the area." He said "No, there's no hotel here, it's just a small village, you need to go to the next town."

So I drive back towards the main highway which is about one kilometer away. There's a big gas station and car park so I go there. And from there I send a message to the family and say, "Look you have to try to get here, it's the only possibility." And during that time I saw a big group of refugees. And immediately, two big police vans screeched up, you know, policemen jumping out. They've got their batons raised ready to hit anybody who resists or doesn't stop, it was just pandemonium. Absolute chaos.

And then finally, at four o'clock in the morning, I get a message: "We're coming in a taxi." They had actually been caught by the police and were taken to the local police station. And the local police chief who's looking at everybody who'd been captured, to those he said "You can go," they could only continue if they paid 200 euros per person. 

BB: Was that an official fee, or was that a bribe?

RC: [Laughs] It was a bribe, it was a bribe.

BB: Presumably, where the family crossed, there's now a razor wire fence in that place, since this happened in August. 

RC: Yeah.

BB: When you saw the batons raised were you expecting violence?

RC: Yes, I was expecting violence. I didn't see violence, but I was expecting violence. 

BB: You took the family as far as Germany. How did you know it was safe to release them? 

RC: I took them direct, I got them to the destination they needed to go. And they're now officially registered as refugees.

BB: And how are they doing? 

RC: They're doing great. They're really happy. And my friend he wants to start a small kitchen or a small restaurant because he still has family in Turkey and Syria. [He] leaves behind three small children and so Fadl wants to be able to support them. He's sworn to support them.        

BB: Given the risks and the clampdown now in Hungary, would you do this again?

RC: That's a very good question and one I'm not a hundred per cent sure of the answer to, but if I were to do so then I would probably go about it differently. 

BB: You wouldn't pass through Hungary then, you'd find another route?

RC: Yes.

BB: Russell Chapman, thank you very much for talking to us. 

RC: You're welcome, thank you very much for having me on the show.

If you want to find out more about the business of people smuggling, check out our interview with journalist Giampaolo Musumeci. He's the author of "Confessions of a People Smuggler," which he wrote after spending two years travelling with human smugglers.