Migrant trafficking ring run from prisons busted

Police say they have unraveled a migrant trafficking that operated from within the prisons of Hania on the island of Crete and Korydallos in Attica.

The network, one of the largest trafficking circuits in the country, transferred migrants from the border with Turkey in Evros elsewhere on the mainland. Its leader was a 39-year-old – identified alternately as a Syrian or an Iraqi national – who is serving multiple sentences for people trafficking. He reportedly used WhatsApp to coordinate the trafficking. Another three inmates at the prisons of Korydallos, Amfissa and Komotini were also involved in the trafficking ring and are also serving sentences for people trafficking.

Six Syrian and three Greek gang members were arrested on October 19, with the latter charged with the theft of vehicles from Attica, mainly jeeps and SUVs, which they used to transport migrants from Evros to the interior of the country.