As a result of a major operation of the internal investigation service ΕΛ.ΑΣ. At least 14 people were arrested at the Greek border crossing of Kristallopigi, located on the border with Albania: seven police and customs officers and seven Albanian civilians.
The operation by the Greek Police Internal Investigation Department followed a complaint that Greek police were issuing fake documents to Albanian citizens to make it easier for them to work and live in the country.
Among other things, the Internal Investigation Service collected evidence by wiretapping telephone conversations between suspects. Investigation continues, searches are being carried out in various cities in western Macedonia, reports mass media.
Police “feeding” at the border, earning up to 10,000 euros per month
Between 2,000 and 10,000 euros per month were received by each of the 7 police officers accused of facilitating citizens from Albania to enter and exit Greece from the Kristallopigi border station without control, despite the fact that they had an entry-exit ban or administrative deportation decisions .
The tariff for each false mark in the travel documents of foreigners ranged from 350 to 700 euros.
As stated in the message of the Ministry of Citizens’ Protection, “The Internal Investigation Service of the Police of Northern Greece arrested 14 members of the criminal organization, including 7 police officers who served in the passport control department of Kristallopiga, and a total of 123 people appear in the case formed by the prosecutor’s office, including 2 more police officers.
The criminal organization allegedly carried out more than 1,700 cases of facilitating the entry and exit of foreigners, with a benefit estimated at 680,000 euros.
Since 2020, a criminal organization has been formed with a certain methodology of action, which is as follows:
- False certification of travel documents, as a result of which 90 days of legal stay in Greece are not completed.
- False stamps on travel documents in cases of foreigners who have already exceeded the maximum period of legal stay in Greece, without paying the prescribed administrative fines.
- False marks in travel documents in cases of foreigners in respect of which decisions on administrative expulsion/return were pending.
- Facilitating the entry into and exit from the country of foreign nationals of third countries without travel documents or with an exit and entry ban measure in place, by failing to carry out the necessary checks.
The police stamped their passports mostly at night or early in the morning, used phone numbers that did not match their identity, and online communication apps. In their conversations, they used passwords and codes. For example, passports were called “red” or “cherries”, sometimes “paper”, “card”, “these”, and the payment of money – “coffee”.
Individuals involved have been prosecuted for – in some cases – offenses of organizing a criminal association, bribing an official, bribing an official, false certification, falsification, abuse of authority, breach of official secrecy, breach of duty and the laws of the National Customs Code, the Immigration Code, money laundering and weapons.
It is noted that two of the defendants in the case are also connected with the smuggling of smuggled tobacco products. The arrested persons were brought to the competent prosecutor’s office”.
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