Policeman and ex-Navy officer linked to migrant smuggling
A police officer and a retired navy officer, both aged 50, are among five suspected members of a migrant-smuggling ring that was broken this week following an eight-month investigation, police said on Thursday.
Apart from the policeman and ex-navy officer, investigators also arrested two retired sailors, aged 52 and 67, and a 42-year-old bank clerk. Two Syrian brothers, aged 45 and 48, are also being sought. The ring is alleged to have profited by coordinating the transfer of migrants arriving in Greece from Turkey using trucks with Bulgarian license plates.
All the suspects face charges of running a criminal organization, violating laws governing the entrance and residence of foreign nationals in Greece and money laundering.
