Three arrested in migration racket
Police in Athens have arrested three men accused of being part of a racket that helped undocumented migrants fly to other parts of the European Union for a fee ranging from €4,500 to €6,000 per person.
Police said Saturday the suspects – identified only as foreign nationals – would supply their customers with valid ID cards or passports stolen from people who resembled them or with forged papers that would allow them to travel.
Investigators, who had been tipped off to the gang’s activities, also found that the racket was paid via an informal money transfer system known as hawala, which involves a network of brokers.
Some clients were also supplied with two sets of travel documents that would allow them to switch identities when transiting to their final destination. Police seized 31 ID cards belonging to Greek and other European nationals, nine EU passports and two residence permits.
