A migrant smuggling network suspected of moving people through the Balkans using rental, stolen and fraudulently registered vehicles has been dismantled in a coordinated operation involving four countries.
Authorities in Greece, Bulgaria, Romania and the Netherlands took action on 16 July in raids and operational activities in Thessaloniki and Athens, Sofia, Bucharest and Etten-Leur, Europol announced on Wednesday.
Seven suspects were arrested — five in Greece, one in Bulgaria and one in the Netherlands — in an investigation led by Greek authorities with Europol support.
The group was made up mainly of Syrian and Egyptian nationals and is suspected of organising the illegal transportation of migrants from Greece through Bulgaria and Romania, before facilitating their onward journey to Italy.
Investigators have so far linked the network to 12 suspected smuggling incidents detected between February and July 2026.
A further four earlier incidents are still under investigation and are believed to be connected to the same group.
The migrants transported were predominantly Egyptian, Iraqi and Syrian nationals.
How the network allegedly operated
The suspects allegedly moved migrants in small vehicles through Greece, Bulgaria and Romania before transferring them to lorries for the final stage towards Italy, Europol said.
They are also suspected of renting vehicles using genuine and forged identity documents and then not returning them.
Other alleged methods included buying and registering cars in the names of third parties or front companies, and using stolen vehicles — mainly originating from Greece.
The network is believed to have operated through dedicated cells in Greece, Bulgaria and Romania, with members travelling frequently across the Balkans to coordinate routes.
Europol said it supported the investigation by helping national authorities exchange and analyse intelligence, and deployed an expert with a mobile office to Greece on the action day to check operational information against Europol databases in real time.
