A 35-year-old foreigner accused of forming a gang, forgery, possession of travel documents of third parties and preparation of false responsible declarations was arrested, following a coordinated police operation of the Immigration Management Department of the Directorate of Aliens of Attica, which took place yesterday in the center of Athens, while another foreign accomplice is being sought of.

In particular, as emphasized in the relevant announcement, after appropriate utilization of information it was established that the 35-year-old participated in a ring that was active in the preparation and marketing of fake travel documents intended for the illegal trafficking of immigrants to European Union countries mainly by air.

Also, in collaboration with EUROPOL, it was found that the ring under investigation has been active since 2021 in the preparation and trading of travel documents, while the German authorities had seized a package containing fake passports in 2021, the sender of which was the 35-year-old.

According to ELAS, the 35-year-old operated a full-fledged laboratory for the preparation of forged documents, which had specialized professional equipment for printing and engraving documents and plastic cards, modern laser technology, as well as suitable raw materials.

It is also noted that a modern, professional printing device with laser technology was also found among the confiscated items, which is not a common find in common forgery document preparation laboratories, as it multiplies the possibilities of forgery document preparation both in quality characteristics and in terms of ” range” of the documents that can be produced and especially in new type forms that have the form of a plastic card.

In order for the 35-year-old and his accomplice to hide their activity, they had installed the laboratory in a house that they did not use as a permanent residence, but exclusively for the operation of the laboratory.

The quantity of documents trafficked is estimated to be in the thousands, with the documents channeled to cooperating migrant smuggling networks or directly to prospective migrants.

From the trading of the documents, it is estimated that they obtained sums of money ranging from 600 to 900 euros per document, depending on the type and the country of origin of the document.

In addition, the 35-year-old in 2023 had rented a residence in the center of Athens and then supplied other people with false Responsible Declarations about their accommodation in said residence in order for asylum seekers to conceal their real residence, declaring false information to the competent Asylum Service.

The 35-year-old was located in the area of ​​the center of Athens and following a search carried out at his home, among other things, the following were found and confiscated:

  • 16 identity cards,
  • 7passports,
  • 10 residence permits,
  • fully equipped forgery training workshop (automatic card engraving laser, laptop computer, laminator, document printer-scanner and UV lamp),
  • driving license and
  • 2 mobile phones.

As pointed out by ELAS: “This specific case was implemented in the framework of the implementation of the National Business Plan (NSB) and the EAST MED 2.2 Operational Action of the European Union policy cycle led by our country.”

Finally, it is emphasized that in order to immediately investigate operational data and highlight all aspects of the ring’s action, which is international in nature, the Aliens Directorate will be reinforced by a special expert from EUROPOL in order to assist in the real-time analysis of information with the use of EUROPOL’s mobile data analysis unit (MOBILE OFFICE).

The arrested person was taken to the Criminal Prosecutor of Athens.