Krystallopigi: 2,000 – 10,000 euros the “monthly” of the police officers in the migrant trafficking ring – Code names and charges for fake documents

The Internal Affairs Service of the Security Forces of Northern Greece dismantled a criminal organization that facilitated the entry – exit to and from the country of foreign nationals of third countries without travel documents or by the measure of banning entry – exit from the border control point of Krystallopigi Florina and at the same time carried out the false attestation on their travel documents.

How they were caught

The dismantling of the criminal organization took place in the context of a large-scale police operation, yesterday, Monday, October 17, 2022, during which 14 members of the organization were arrested, including 7 police officers, serving in the Passport Control Department, while the case file that was formed includes a total of 123 people, including two other police officers, for other crimes.

What did the investigations find?

In physical searches, searches of residences and places of professional practice, which were carried out, found and seized:

• 463,000 euros, 380 Australian dollars, 19 US dollars, 20 Skopje dinars and 8,540 Albanian Lek,
• 511 packs of cigarettes and 17 packs of tobacco, without a special consumption tax band,
• handwritten notes,
• 2 passports on which entry/exit to and from Greek territory was falsely confirmed and
• shotgun and 122 cartridges.

How did they act?

As it emerged from the investigation, the members of the organization, at least since the year 2020, had formed a criminal organization with continuous and structured activity, having distinct roles and having the following modus operandi:

• False certification on travel documents, so that the (90) days of their legal stay in Greek territory are not completed.
• False certification on travel documents in cases of foreigners who had already exceeded the maximum duration of their legal stay in the Country, without paying the prescribed administrative penalties.
• False attestation on travel documents in cases of foreigners, against whom execution of administrative deportation-return decisions was pending.
• Facilitation of entry or exit to and from the country, of foreign nationals of third countries, without travel documents or with a valid measure prohibiting exit – entry from the Country, by not carrying out the prescribed checks.

Code Names

The members of the criminal organization, in order to protect their illegal activity, implemented counter-surveillance measures, namely:

• The false attestation of passports by the police officers – members of the organization took place mainly in the early hours of the morning.
• Members used phone connections, which did not correspond to their identity details, but also online communication applications.
• Use of coded and coded terminology as passports were called ‘red’ or ‘cherries’, ‘that’, ‘paper’, ‘paper’, ‘these’, while the payment of illicit financial benefit was ‘coffee’.

The charges

As it was established, the members of the organization were involved in at least (77) cases of false certification on travel documents and in at least ten (10) cases of facilitating the exit – entry of citizens from and to Greece, receiving unfair benefits ranging from (350) to (700) euro.

From the entire investigation, it is alleged that the criminal organization carried out more than 1,700 cases of facilitating the entry – exit of foreigners with the benefit estimated at 680,000 euros, with the police officers – members of the organization receiving monthly sums of money of 2,000 to 10,000 euros.

A case file was filed against those involved for – as the case may be – the offenses of criminal organization, bribery of an employee, bribery of an employee, false certification, forgery, abuse of power, breach of official confidentiality, breach of duty and the laws of the National Customs Code, the Immigration Code, the money laundering and arms.

It is noted that two of the people involved in the case are also related to a case of trafficking in contraband tobacco products.

The arrested persons, with the case filed against them, were taken to the competent prosecutor’s office.

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