A major migrant network operating across the Balkans with rented, stolen and fraudulently registered vehicles has been dismantled by authorities in Bulgaria, Greece, the Netherlands and Romania. The operation, led by Greek police and supported by Europol, targeted a group made up mainly of Syrian and Egyptian nationals.
How the network operated
The men are accused of moving migrants from Greece through Bulgaria and Romania before sending them on to Italy. Investigators have linked the network to 12 migrant smuggling incidents between February and July 2026, with four earlier cases also believed to be connected. The migrants involved were predominantly Egyptian, Iraqi and Syrian nationals.
The gang allegedly used sophisticated tactics to evade detection, transporting people in small vehicles across Greece, Bulgaria and Romania before transferring them to lorries for the final leg to Italy. They rented cars with genuine and forged documents — often failing to return them — registered vehicles under front companies or third parties, and used stolen cars, many taken from Greece.
Raids and arrests
Raids took place on July 16, 2026 in Thessaloniki and Athens (Greece), Sofia (Bulgaria), Bucharest (Romania) and Etten-Leur (the Netherlands). Seven suspects were arrested — five in Greece, one in Bulgaria and one in the Netherlands.
The network operated through dedicated cells in the three Balkan countries, with members frequently travelling the routes to co-ordinate movements.
Europol involvement
A Europol spokesperson said: "Europol facilitated the exchange and analysis of operational intelligence throughout the investigation. On the action day, Europol deployed an expert with a mobile office to Greece, allowing investigators to cross-check operational information against Europol's databases in real time, rapidly develop investigative leads and support the coordination of the participating authorities."
The action involved Bulgaria’s General Directorate Border Police, Greece’s Hellenic Police (Thessaloniki Aliens Directorate), the Royal Netherlands Marechaussee, and Romania’s Directorate for Countering Organised Crime. It comes after the expansion of Europol’s European Centre Against Migrant Smuggling (EMSC), aimed at boosting cross-border intelligence efforts against human smuggling networks operating under the EU framework.
