Police make arrests in criminal passport racket
A comparison with other countries shows how imperative changing the validity is, as a five-year passport costs 86 euros in Greece. In Italy, passports are valid for a decade and the cost reaches €116, proportionally smaller than in Greece. In Belgium it is seven years and costs €65 euros.
Police in Athens have dismantled a gang accused of selling genuine Greek passports to third-country nationals so they could travel to other parts of the European Union.
In an announcement, the police said three non-nationals, aged 38, 39 and 43 years old, were arrested on Friday afternoon.
An investigation showed that the gang sold genuine Greek passports for up to €3,000 to €4,000 each.
The gang had obtained the passports from other criminal networks in central and northern Europe.
