Evros: five smugglers arrested in 24 hours

Five foreign nationals were arrested on Tuesday, August 11 in different areas of Evros, accused of transporting a total of 25 illegal migrants in passenger vehicles. The arrests were made by police officers from the Police Directorates of Orestiada and Alexandroupolis, as part of regular checks conducted on the road networks of the prefecture during the day and night, with fixed and mobile checkpoints.

The first incident occurred in the afternoon on a provincial road, where Border Guard officers from Orestiada spotted a vehicle with six migrants. According to an announcement, the driver did not comply with a stop signal and accelerated before finally stopping and being arrested. Such pursuits carry serious risks, both for the passengers and for other road users.

The same afternoon, on a rural road, the Border Guard Unit of Cyprus spotted a second vehicle with five migrants. Rural roads are often used as alternative routes, as they bypass the fixed checkpoints on the main axes connecting Evros with the rest of the country. Border guard services accordingly adjust checkpoints, moving them during the day.

Three more incidents followed in the afternoon. On the national road from Ormeni to Ardani, the Border Guard Unit of Souflion spotted a vehicle with three migrants, with the driver not having a valid driving license. At the southern junction of Didymoteicho, the corresponding unit spotted a vehicle with seven migrants.

Finally, in the evening, on the same national road from Ormeni to Ardani, the Border Guard Unit of Souflion spotted a fifth vehicle with four migrants. The repetition of incidents on the same axis within the same day suggests, according to authorities, organized activity with coordinated routes rather than isolated initiatives. Analysis of confiscated phones is expected to show whether there is a connection between the cases.

All five vehicles were seized, as well as mobile phones, which will be examined as part of the investigation. Preliminary investigations are being conducted by the Border Guard Units of Orestiada, Cyprus, Didymoteicho, Souflion and Feres. The presumption of innocence applies until the issuance of court decisions.

The concentration of five separate cases within twenty-four hours shows the intensity of activity on the land route of Evros during the summer months. A few days earlier, four smugglers were arrested in Evros and Rhodope. More from Greece on the Greece page.