Thessaloniki court throws book at 14 people traffickers

The Thessaloniki Criminal Court of Appeal on Tuesday handed sentences of 19 to 141 years to 14 Pakistani nationals who were convicted of being members of a trafficking gang.

Those convicted were found guilty, on a case-by-case basis, of transporting dozens of migrants from Turkey to Greece, kidnapping, attempted extortion and causing dangerous bodily harm. 

The gang was dismantled after a police operation in April 2021. Alongside the prison sentences, the court imposed fines ranging from 110,000 to 620,000 euros on eight of those convicted persons.

Investigation of the criminal group by Thessaloniki authorities began in March 2021. They were found to be operating in Greek territory, but also had international connections.

The case file referred to at least 10 illegal transfers, from the Greek-Turkish border to the interior of Greece, but also via the border with North Macedonia.