Athens-based Europe-wide forgery ring dismantled

European and Greek law enforcement authorities have dismantled a gang dealing in forged identification documents, in a large-scale operation codenamed Taurus.

Europol and ELAS made a joint announcement on Monday, saying that officers have so far made 20 arrests and conducted 23 searches, while forgery workshops have been identified in four Athens neighborhoods – Pangrati, Neos Cosmos, Patissia and Kolliatsou – where the gang produced documents like passports, driver’s licenses, residence permits and ID cards.

According to an announcement, the gang was headed by four Albanian nationals and provided false papers to clients all over Europe. It had some 250 customers in Germany alone, it said.

The gang charged 400 to 500 euros per passport and is also suspected of smuggling 45 people into the UK.