To facilitate their exit from the country through Athens Airport, the cost ranged from €3,000 to €4,000 – A fully equipped fake document preparation workshop was identified
Dislocatedfrom the Athens Airport Police Directorate, criminal organization that was active in facilitating the illegal exit of foreigners from our country to other European countries through Athens Airporthaving previously supplied them with forged or genuine travel documents which had been issued in favor of another person.
(7) integrated members of the criminal organization were arrested in the context of an operation planned and implemented by the above agency, in the afternoon hours of 07-12-2023 and in the morning hours of 07-13-2023, with the participation of OPK police officers. E. of the Attica Security Directorate, with the aim of deconstructing and stopping the activity of the criminal organization.
Against the foreign members (three 39-year-olds, two 38-year-olds, a 43-year-old and a 20-year-old) a case-by-case case was filed for setting up a criminal organization, violation of the Immigration and Social Integration Code and forgery.
How did they act?
As it emerged from the pre-investigative investigation, the aforementioned foreigners, since March of this year, formed an operationally structured and continuous criminal organization with the purpose of their activity in facilitating the illegal exit of foreigners from the country through the air method.
After locating foreigners who wished to depart for other European countries, they first arranged for their accommodation in “safe houses” apartments and then took them to shops for the supply of suitable clothes and hairdressers in order to acquire the appearance of a “European passenger”.
They were then taken to photo studios to take photos that would be used to make fake travel documents for them or to forge genuine ones.
Upon completion and delivery of the documents, they were escorted to the Athens International Airport until boarding aircraft for flights to European destinations, guiding them through all the stages to avoid police control.
To facilitate their exit from the country through Athens Airport, the cost ranged from €3,000 to €4,000, depending on the destination and the document that the trafficked alien would use.
The roles
The members of the organization had distinct roles:
- • The leader and coordinator of the group was a 39-year-old foreigner. His role was to identify and conclude agreements with people who wish to leave the country. At the same time, he arranged for the preparation – supply of the documents. The other stages of the preparation of the trafficked aliens for the upcoming trip, he assigned to the other members,
- • The two 38-year-olds, a 20-year-old and a 43-year-old were primarily responsible for going to the airport and directing foreigners to the premises of the Athens airport,
- • The role of the other 39-year-old was to ensure the smooth operation of the safe houses on a daily basis, transporting food, taking care of the hygiene of the area, as well as transporting the trafficked foreigners to buy clothes and take photos and
- • The 39-year-old had the role of a forger, as he maintained a forgery workshop, where he prepared to order fake travel documents from various countries or falsified genuine ones which were then used by the foreigners being trafficked.
From the preliminary investigation, (16) cases of attempted exit of (28) migrant foreigners with the guidance and support of members of the ring, who attempted to depart via the Athens Airport using the above methodology, were identified.
What did the investigations find?
The investigation carried out in a house in Athens, revealed a fully equipped laboratory for preparing fake documents.
From the overall searches both in the aforementioned laboratory and in the homes of the members, among others, the following were seized:
- • -251- Greek identity cards,
- • -29- passports of various countries,
- • -4- residence permits of various countries,
- • -10- identity cards of various countries,
- • -3- driving licenses of various countries,
- • -13- fake printed blanks of Greek identity cards,
- • -29- fake printed blank Italian identity cards,
- • -31- photos depicting various faces,
- • -14- sheets depicting passport control stamps of foreign countries and other elements,
- • -12- wooden and metal stamps with embossed print,
- • -7- seal impressions
- • equipment suitable for the preparation of forged documents or falsification of genuine ones,
- • The sums of -8,435- euros, -311- US dollars. and -30,920- Swedish kroner and
- • -2- business cars of the organization.
In a search of the (3) “safe houses” of the group, (8) foreigners were identified who lacked documentation of legal residence in the country and for whom the process of administrative deportation was initiated.
Four members of the organization have been arrested in the past for similar crimes, while a 38-year-old member was pending decisions for theft, arson and a distinguished case of depravity.
The arrested persons, with the case filed against them, were brought before the Criminal Prosecutor of Athens.
Source: Skai
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