The National Unit for the Suppression of Migrant Smuggling and Trafficking in Human Beings, the Department for Special and Special Operations, the Skopje Police Department, under the leadership of the Public Prosecutor from the Public Prosecutor’s Office for Organized Crime and Corruption, conducted a coordinated police operation to suppress organized criminal group on Wednesday.
The investigation into the organized 13-member group was conducted from May to October of this year. Searches were carried out on 11 persons, in a total of 11 facilities in Skopje, and 9 persons were deprived of their liberty (one of whom is a police officer), two persons are being sought, while two persons-members are already serving prison terms in KPU Skopje and KPU Idrizovo, for “migrant smuggling”.
Migrants were illegally transferred to the RSM from Greece, through illegal crossings at the so-called “green border” in the vicinity of Gevgelija and DemirKapija, then they were transported to pre-arranged locations with passenger and cargo vehicles in the Kumanovo-Lipkovo region, to then be smuggled through Serbia to the EU countries. The cost of transportation was from 600 to 800 euros per person.
