BERLIN - Berlin police have uncovered a human trafficking gang that used dead people's passports for smuggling into Germany.
About 120 officers raided several buildings in the German capital early Thursday, including an Islamic funeral home run by a Syrian national.
Federal police spokesman Jens Schobranski says officers found about 50 German, Moroccan, Egyptian and other passports during the raid.
He says the gang appears to have charged up to 5,000 euros ($6,830) per passport to Syrians and others wanting to come to Germany.
Aside from four main suspects aged 34 to 53, police are also investigating a city official suspected of providing false registration documents for people who entered the country illegally.