Chinese gang abused illegal immigrants
Ten Chinese nationals have been arrested in Athens for involvement in a migrant-smuggling ring that spirited Chinese job-seekers into Greece and then detained and maltreated them, seeking ransom from their relatives in China. Police said on Saturday that the 10 suspects, arrested during raids in Metaxourgeio and Kallithea, belonged to a highly organized gang with branches in the Far East, Iran, Jordan, Germany, France, Holland and Canada. The suspects allegedly took no money in advance to smuggle their compatriots into Europe, promising to let them repay the gang when they found work. Once the illegal immigrants reached Greece, gang members imprisoned them and demanded ransom of 15,000 euros from their families, often backing up their demands with torture. Officers found 108 passports, two pistols and several money orders from China in the suspects’ possession.
