Police have launched two operations in the last few days aimed at cracking down on an illegal transport business that forces passengers traveling to Albania to switch to their bus service, officials said yesterday.

The suspects allegedly threatened or blackmailed passengers about to board one of the Hellenic Railways Organization (OSE) buses and coerced them into using the illegal vehicles. Panayiotis Anastasopoulos, head of OSE’s automotive services, told Kathimerini that the underground operation targeted commuters heading to Balkan countries and has resulted in a sharp drop in OSE’s business.

On occasion, the suspects even grabbed passengers from the OSE counter and forced them into their own buses, Anastasopoulos said. With the help of riot police, authorities questioned 130 people in relation to the alleged racket and arrested 30 of them.