Smuggling network from Albania to Greece suspected of earning at least €750,000; 10 arrested

An operation by authorities in Igoumenitsa and Thessaloniki led to the dismantling of a migrant-smuggling network and the arrest of 10 people.

Investigators found that the group had been operating since at least June 2025. It is linked to 41 cases involving the transport of more than 500 migrants, with illegal proceeds estimated at at least €750,000.

According to police, the smuggled migrants came from Nepal, Yemen and China. They crossed on foot from Albania into Greece along difficult mountain trails, initially arriving in the Igoumenitsa area.

There, members of the network temporarily housed them in homes or makeshift tents and provided food, water and SIM cards. They then arranged their onward travel on intercity buses, mainly to Athens and Patras, and in some cases outside Greece.

Greek police said some were sent to do agricultural work in the Peloponnese, where they were employed without legal formalities. In many cases, members of the organization held their passports as a guarantee that they would repay the cost of transport through work.

The 10 people arrested include two men from Syria, a woman from Albania and seven Greek nationals. A 26-year-old accomplice, who is already in pretrial detention, is also implicated in the case. Nine people were arrested in Sagiada, in the Igoumenitsa area, and one in Thessaloniki.

To avoid detection, the suspects used a closed communications network on online applications, where they exchanged information about police movements, according to the statement.

Searches of three homes and a shop led to the seizure of three cars, mobile phones, electronic equipment, €1,150 and four passports.

Authorities also arrested 21 people without valid residency documents in Greece. Five of them were found at the home of a suspected network member, where they were living while working illegally at his business.

The operation was conducted in cooperation with Europol, with police services from Igoumenitsa, Thessaloniki and Patras taking part. Those arrested are expected to appear before the relevant judicial authority in Igoumenitsa.