Rhodes: Criminal organization that smuggled migrants from Turkey to Greece dismantled

A criminal organization that smuggled illegal immigrants from Turkey to Greece has been dismantled. The arrest of its members and the dismantling of the organization were carried out by the Rhodes Port Authority’s Security Office and Rhodes Special Operations echelon officers with the assistance of officers from the Directorate of Safety and Security. Maritime Borders (DAPTHAS), and the National Intelligence Service (E .YP) after a wide police operation in Rhodes. Members of this criminal organization facilitated the accommodation of illegal immigrants in Rhodes and their promotion internally.

A total of ten foreigners were arrested as members of the criminal organization (six Syrian nationals aged 16, 20, 25, 27, 44 and 47, two Turkish nationals aged 22 and 29, one Palestinian national aged 35, one Moldovan national aged 32) and a 53-year-old citizen. . The profit of the criminal organization from the illegal transfer of migrants from Turkey to Rhodes is 6,000 euros per head.
In particular, in the context of information and coordinated police action, on July 24, the Coast Guard-Hellenic Coast Guard patrol boat Monolith of Rhodes detected a sufficient number of foreigners disembarking at the Kerameni beach of Rhodes. Then moves towards the opposite Turkish coast. Using light and sound signals, the PLS flagged down the T/C vessel, which had a 22-year-old operator and his 29-year-old assistant (both Turkish nationals) on board.

At the same time, a total of eleven foreigners were found on the vast territory of Monolithos, who were taken to the Central Port Authority of Rhodes. As part of the preliminary investigation, a 22-year-old and a 29-year-old were identified as the captain and assistant of the T/C boat and arrested as smugglers of foreigners off the Turkish coast off Rhodes. /C boat seized as a means of transport.
In the context of an integrated operation from the ground, two IXE. Vehicles. In a vehicle, a smuggler picked up four migrants from their disembarkation area at Rhodes Airport and fled. He then hid the vehicle in the fenced area of ​​a luxury residence in Greymasty area. The same smuggler was with three other foreigners in another vehicle in Rhodes where they were all arrested.

Earlier, the involved smugglers had visited various parts of Rhodes city to monitor LS-EL.AKT’s patrol boats and their movements. In fact, they not only supervised the places where illegal immigrants disembarked from T/C boats, but also the land route through which they were then transported. Legal house searches were conducted in the presence of a judicial officer at three houses, two of which were security houses and the third was the aforementioned luxury residence, where members of the organization also lived. During house searches, a total of thirty-one foreigners without legal documents were found, and five foreigners were arrested. A lawful search was also conducted at the home and professional premises of the arrested citizen.
In total, during the investigations conducted, one T/C vessel, three IXE vehicles, twenty mobile telephone devices, one external hard drive, one file storage device (usb stick), one laptop, an amount of seven thousand euros, thirty four identity cards of other countries were seized. , eleven Greek asylum cards of dubious authenticity, one Spanish residence permit of dubious authenticity, a French driver’s license and sixteen passports of various countries of dubious authenticity.
The suspected organized circuit operated with unique roles, whereby the front man coordinated with smugglers from Turkey to tell them when and where a boat with illegal immigrants would arrive in Rhodes. Other members of the ring would pick them up from their respective beaches on the island, then take them to safe houses and hide them from the Greek authorities, taking care to provide them with forged travel documents to send them inland. The profit of the criminal organization from the illegal transfer of migrants from Turkey to Rhodes is 6,000 euros per head.
The Directorate of Maritime Border Protection and Security (DAPTHAS) is deeply analyzing and processing evidence that revealed the possible expansion of the activities of the members of the criminal organization to other islands of the Eastern Aegean and their cooperation with others. Members of organized circles with similar criminal activities, both in our country and abroad.