Leading members of a migrant trafficking ring were arrested in Athens from…
After a long-term investigation, the Migration Management department of the Aliens Directorate of Attica managed to deconstruct the activity of a criminal group of its members who were active in the illegal movement of foreigners from Turkey to Greece, through the Evros region, with the aim of promoting them to other European countries. Countries.
According to the ELAS announcement, after a major police operation that took place yesterday, in the areas of Kypseli and Agios Panteleimon, two foreigners were arrested. He is a leading member of the ring and another key member, who allegedly entered into a significant number of agreements. In addition, during the above operation, a foreigner was also arrested, who did not have the necessary documents for legal residence in Greece.
A case file was filed against them for the offenses of criminal organization, facilitating illegal entry or exit, possession of passports and travel documents of third parties, and forgery. At the same time, five more foreigners are accused of the same crimes in the case file.
As it turned out, the members of the ring, in cooperation with criminal groups operating in Turkey, undertook the organization of illegal promotions from Turkey to Greece through the Evros region.
They then supplied the foreigners with the necessities, providing them with clothing, food and tickets, and promoted them to other European countries, either through the Athens International Airport, or from other regional airports. The members of the ring would escort the migrants to the airports to ensure they boarded the designated flights, and if they were not boarded, they would attempt to forward them from another airport using other passports.
The ring, in order to cover its illegal activity, operated as “windows”, a travel agency for the issuance of air tickets using the fake travel documents, which they prepared, as well as a convenience store (mini market), which operated . as an office of illegal off-bank transactions with the “HAWALA” method.
A combined study of the case evidence revealed that the ring has entered into at least 570 deals to smuggle immigrants.
Through the operation of the “HAWALA” system, it appears that only from May to November 2021, the circuit received from candidates for the promotion of immigrants, an amount of money exceeding 120,000 euros.
As reported by ELAS, the whole operation is part of the implementation of the National Plan of Operations (E.S.E.) and the EMPACT program, to combat the illegal movement of immigrants in Greece, which is directed to Greece.
The arrested were taken to the Piraeus Criminal Prosecutor’s Office.
Source: AMPE