Twelve arrested as Greek police crack human-trafficking ring [Update]
Twelve suspects have been arrested in Thessaloniki, in northern Greece, as authorities dismantled a human-trafficking racket which is accused of having smuggled at least 80 undocumented migrants into other European Union countries since June 2013.
A police operation launched on Tuesday led to the arrest of a 33-year-old Pakistani national identified only as Aslam R., who is believed to be the kingpin of the organization, and another 11 suspects aged between 22 and 38, most of them also from Pakistan. Officers also arrested a Greek female employee at a foreign exchange bureau at the northern port city’s railway station, who allegedly facilitated the racket’s financial transactions. Police are seeking three more suspects from Bangladesh, Bulgaria and Senegal.
Investigators also confiscated an unspecified amount of drugs, several cell phones and 4,500 euros in cash.
