Europol arrests 11 suspected smugglers
Source: InfoMigrants: reliable and verified news for migrants – InfoMigrants
The 11 people arrested by Europol are suspected of smuggling migrants from Greece to northern Europe by air. The arrests were announced on Wednesday after a joint Greek-Belgian investigation.
“A Greek-Belgian investigation supported by Europol and Eurojust has led to the dismantling of a criminal network that smuggled migrants by air from Athens to Northern Europe,” stated a press release from Europol on Wednesday (November 15).
Swedish and Norwegian authorities also supported the investigation. Arrests took place on November 13. Eight people were arrested in Belgium, two in Greece and one in Sweden. Police officers searched properties in Belgium and Greece, including two travel agencies located in the Greek capital Athens.
During the searches, officers seized phones, other electronic devices and digital evidence, as well as two boxes of forged passports and almost €200,000 in cash, stated the press release.
Destination Norway
The criminal network, according to Europol, comprised mostly Egyptian and Syrian nationals. They are accused of working together since January 2022, allegedly smuggling migrants from Athens through Belgium to Scandinavia, with the final destination being in most cases Norway.
Investigators say the network furnished migrants with genuine passports at Athens airport which they used to check on to planes flying either to Brussels Zaventem Airport or Brussels South Gosselies. Europol calls this “look-alike” document fraud, where the carrier of the passport looks like the original passport holder and presents themselves as the genuine holder of that passport.
Fake documents
Once in Brussels, the network then provided the migrants with fake Romanian or Bulgarian travel documents. Some of the journeys included a short stay in the Brussels area. Migrants are thought to have paid at least €5,000 or €6,000 per person for this journey.
A member of the group would accompany the group as far as Brussels and then fly back to Athens. The payments were made, say investigators, via the Hawala underground banking system.
Investigation into the group began in May 2023, states the press release. Eurojust set up the joint investigation team to “facilitate judicial cooperation.”
The press release did not state how many migrants the network is accused of having smuggled successfully to Norway via this route.
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