Greek police have dismantled a sophisticated criminal syndicate that was using a mini market in Athens as a front for a large-scale migrant smuggling and document forgery operation, arresting five suspects in a bust that was part of a Europe-wide enforcement effort.
The operation, codenamed “ILLUMINATI,” was led by the Migration Management Department of the Attica Foreigners' Directorate.
Earlier this week, police arrested five individuals in Athens and the nearby suburb of Peristeri. Two other suspects remain at large.
Investigators said the group had been operating two full-scale workshops for producing high-quality fake documents since at least 2024.
They allegedly charged up to €8,000 per person for a package that included forged papers and smuggling assistance, with individual documents priced between €400 and €1,200.
One of the workshops was hidden in a house in Athens, with the mini market serving as a facade where clients would pick up the finished documents.
During raids, police seized a vast trove of forgery equipment, including computers, printers, laminators, and hundreds of fake IDs, passports, residence permits, and thousands of blank cards and security stickers. Authorities also confiscated cash, vehicles, and a small amount of cannabis.
The suspects face charges of participating in a criminal conspiracy, forgery, and violations of immigration and weapons laws.
They have been brought before a prosecutor.