So far 16 arrested in Greece in connection with migrant trafficking ring

In collaboration with Europol, Greek police have uncovered two rings operating out of Athens, trafficking undocumented migrants into Northern Europe.

So far, 16 foreign nationals have been arrested, along with an undisclosed number in the European Union, as part of an operation code-named Hermes.

According to authorities, the two trafficking rings used courier services to provide migrants around the world with forged documents so they can travel to destinations in Northern Europe.

In the last year alone, authorities estimate that more than 500 parcels containing passports were dispatched, primarily to EU member-states, while an average of 15 migrants per month were trafficked from Greece to other EU countries.