A migrant smuggling and document forgery ring was taken down in Athens on July 24 and 25 as a result of a coordinated operation by Greek, German, and American law enforcement, assisted by Europol. Eight suspects, all thought to be involved in a criminal network that produced forged documents for migrants, were taken into custody.
The majority of the suspects were repeat offenders with established connections to the illicit document trade, Greek police said. Turkish, Iranian, and Pakistani nationals made up the majority of the group, according to Europol.
A travel agency in Athens is thought to have served as a front for creating and sending forged documents throughout Europe as part of the smuggling operation. According to investigators, the documents were frequently shipped in packages to nations like the UK, France, and Spain.
During the raids, police found hundreds of fake IDs, passports, and residency papers, plus biometric data, forgery equipment, phones, drugs, cars, and over €68,000 in cash. The group also smuggled migrants from Turkey to Greece, hid them in an Athens safe house, and arranged air travel to other EU countries using the fake documents.
Customs and Border Protection, Homeland Security Investigations, and the FBI’s Athens office were among the U.S. agencies that were involved. Throughout the operation, Europol was instrumental in facilitating international cooperation and coordinating intelligence.
