As part of a large-scale police operation, 10 people, members of the organization, were arrested, including one of the leading members.
-25- victims of human trafficking were rescued, provided with assistance and protection
-194- people were brought in, of whom -100- were arrested, as they lacked legal documents to stay in the country.
During the searches, among other things, travel documents were found and seized., numerous receipts for sending money through money transfer companies, handwritten notes, -18- mobile phones, the sum of -14.375- euros, as well as -4- cars
The Sub-Directorate for Combating Trafficking in Human Beings and Goods of the Directorate for Combating Organized Crime dismantled a criminal organization whose members were active in the trafficking of foreign men, mainly Nepalese nationals, with the aim of their economic and labor exploitation in agricultural crops in Greek territory.
In order to dismantle the criminal organization, a large-scale police operation was carried out in the morning hours of Tuesday, October 7, 2025, in Attica, Thessaloniki, Argolida, Boeotia, Messinia, Ilia and Larissa, in which police officers participated.
- of the Operational Groups Department of the Intelligence and Special Actions Sub-Directorate of the Organized Crime Countermeasures Directorate,
- of the Department for Combating Illicit Trafficking in Human Beings and Goods of the Sub-Directorate for Combating Organized Crime of Northern Greece,
- of the Pyrgos and Larissa Crime Prosecution and Investigation Sub-Directorates,
- of the Crime Prosecution and Investigation Departments of Nafplio and Thebes,
- of the Kalamata Drug Enforcement Department, as well as Special Groups and teams of Criminal Investigation Offices of the local General Regional Police Directorates.
As part of the operation, -10- members of the organization, Pakistani nationals, were arrested, including one of the leading members, while the case file includes another -10- individuals (of whom -7- are members of the criminal organization), whose details have been identified, including a person incarcerated in a Pre-Removal Detention Center.
A case was filed against them – as appropriate – for criminal organization, human trafficking – labor exploitation, as well as for violation of the Immigration Code and drug legislation.
In total, the investigation identified -25- cases of trafficking of foreign men, Nepalese nationals, who were living in unsanitary and degrading conditions for human dignity.
The victims were provided with assistance and protection, in collaboration with the General Secretariat for Vulnerable Citizens and Institutional Protection of the Ministry of Immigration and Asylum and the NGO A-21.
Furthermore, during the operation, -194- people were brought to the local Police Stations, of whom -100- were arrested because they lacked legal documents for their stay in the country.
As the investigation revealed, at least since November 2024, the members of the criminal organization were formed and joined it, having operationally structured and continuous action, with main activities the recruitment of foreigners, mainly Nepalese nationals, using - as the case may be - coercive and fraudulent means, the facilitation of their illegal entry into Greek territory, as well as their reception, installation and transport to various regions of the country with the aim of obtaining illegal financial benefit through the exploitation of their labor.
The main role in the recruitment was played by a 29-year-old Nepalese national, who, receiving guidance and support from a 39-year-old, appeared as an "intermediary" for finding work in our country, targeting her compatriots who were working legally in Balkan countries, mainly in Romania.
To achieve her goal, she posted relevant "advertisements" on social media, where, with staged content, she promised better financial rewards in Greece. In fact, the profile had tens of thousands of followers, with millions of user views on more than -150- videos.
The work featured mainly concerned the agricultural sector, without any reference to employment conditions or basic living benefits.
When interested parties contacted her, the 29-year-old obtained their consent to travel to our country, in exchange for a fee that would be paid gradually through their work, thus creating a bond of financial dependence and debt.
Subsequently, the victims entered Greek territory by air or through the land border with North Macedonia and then, with the assistance of members of the criminal organization, were transported to areas in the province.
Previously, they were transferred to apartments or other temporary accommodation under constant surveillance, where various individuals often took away their travel documents as a means of pressure.
In fact, during their transfer, some foreigners were forced to pay money or were subjected to physical violence and threats, while in other cases they were kidnapped and illegally detained with the aim of paying sums of money to the perpetrators in exchange for their release.
In the regions where foreigners were employed, such as Argolis, Ilia, Arcadia, Laconia, Messinia, Larissa and Boeotia, they lived in makeshift accommodation or warehouses and were engaged in exhausting agricultural work under the supervision of overseers, who acted as intermediaries and managed the accommodation, work and surveillance of the workers. Working conditions were extremely harsh, without hours or rest, while the migrants received little or no money under the pretext of paying off the “debt”. Those who resisted faced threats, intimidation or physical violence.
As part of the operation, searches were carried out in homes, accommodation and shops where, among other things, the following were found and seized:
- -18- Nepalese passports, other travel documents (passports, ID cards, etc.) issued by Pakistani and Bangladeshi authorities,
- numerous documents for sending money through money transfer companies,
- numerous handwritten notes with amounts of money, dates and names,
- documents with information about flight reservations of foreign individuals,
- -18- mobile phones and -3- computers,
- quantity of processed hemp,
- the sum of -14.375- euros and -4- cars.
It is noted that, on the day of the operation, the Department for Combating Smuggling and Human Trafficking was reinforced with a special expert from EUROPOL, who assisted in the real-time analysis of information using EUROPOL's mobile data analysis unit ("Mobile Office").
The arrested, with the case file against them, were taken to the competent Prosecutor's Office.
