The members of an organized criminal group of Bulgarian citizens, engaged in the transportation of illegal migrants on the territory of Greece, have been sentenced to an average of 140 years in prison, and some of them have been fined 1.4 million euros. This was summarized by bTV.
The joint investigation of the law enforcement structures of Bulgaria and Greece begins at the end of 2023, and on January 11, 2024. in the city of Thessaloniki, four members of the group operating on the territory of the two countries were detained during a specialized police operation.
The action was carried out under the coordination of Europol and within the framework of the established Task Force, as a result of whose actions several criminal networks controlling the smuggling of migrants in Bulgaria, Greece and Turkey have been dismantled to date.
The arrests were made on the basis of data collected by the Bulgarian service that they provide “working“ motor vehicles with which they transport illegal migrants, using 45 vehicles for this purpose. The organizer of the channel and members of the group - Bulgarian citizens between 29 and 35 years old, as well as their assistant from the Greek side - have been identified. 47-year-old man.
During the investigation, numerous license plates, vehicle registration certificates, purchase and sale contracts and various other documents related to the activity were found.
During the ongoing international investigation, ten more people were identified and charged as complicit in the illegal migrant smuggling channel.
As a result of the nearly year-long trial, all fourteen members of the criminal group were found guilty - ten of the defendants were sentenced to 140 years and 6 months in prison for each of them. For two, the sentence was set at 278 years and 6 months in prison and a fine of 1,400,000 euros. For two others, the sentence was set at 266 years and 6 months in prison and a fine of 1,340,000 euros. The decisions enter into force without the right to appeal.
The structure of the Directorate of Criminal Investigation and Prevention has been informed by its international partners about the results of the police work. The Greek side thanks its colleagues for the joint work and the achieved result in favor of the fight against cross-border organized crime.