Europol has arrested 15 members of a ring that organized fake weddings in Cyprus.

The investigative activities were carried out by Europol and Eurojust.

The criminal network is also allegedly involved in human trafficking and money laundering activities.

According to Europol, on January 29, Europol’s Operational Task Force (OTF) in Limassol carried out an operation led by Cyprus, with the participation of Latvia and Portugal, with the support of Eurojust. The OTF targeted a criminal network facilitating illegal immigration to the EU through sham marriages. Investigative activities suggest that the criminal network is also involved in human trafficking and money laundering activities, as well as forcing victims into sham marriages for immigration purposes.

The investigation into this criminal network revealed that the suspects allegedly recruited Latvian and Portuguese nationals and facilitated their travel to Cyprus, where the women entered into arranged marriages with third-country nationals. The suspects, mostly Indian, Pakistani and Portuguese nationals, arranged all the logistics, including buying air tickets and obtaining passports and other required documents.

The activities of the OTF led to the identification of several perpetrators, suspicious transactions and a total of 133 marriages of convenience between Portuguese and Latvian women and Indian and Pakistani men. Marriages allowed third-country nationals to obtain residence permits from third countries, which they then used to travel to other European countries.

The mock wedding ceremonies took place in town halls around Aradippou Livadia and Nicosia in Cyprus. OTF’s work led to investigations and arrests in Cyprus, including the arrest of two of the main organizers in Latvia and Portugal following European arrest warrants issued by Cyprus.