A total 12 suspected members of smuggling rings bringing migrants from the land border with Turkey westward in overcrowded cars and a minivan have been arrested in a two-day period, authorities said Wednesday.
A police statement said seven people were taken into custody Tuesday near the northwestern Evros border with 34 undocumented migrants squashed into their vehicles. All had been heading towards the port city of Thessaloniki, from where they hoped to continue their journey towards Europe’s prosperous heartland.
Another five suspected smugglers were arrested Monday in the same area with a total 20 people in their cars.
Thousands of people from the Middle East, the Indian subcontinent and Africa enter Greece every year – mostly by sea from Turkey or Libya but also crossing the Evros land border, despite the fence Greek authorities have built along much of the frontier.
Nearly 49,000 entries were registered nationwide last year. So far this year more than 22,000 people have arrived.
