Thessaloniki: taxi driver arrested in Kalochori

A 56-year-old taxi driver was arrested on Monday 10 August in Kalochori, Thessaloniki, as part of a police operation targeting the illegal transport of people. The check was carried out by the Migration Management Department of the Thessaloniki Aliens Directorate, which had been operating across the wider area. During the check it was established that the four passengers travelling in the vehicle did not carry travel documents legalising their presence in the country.

According to the details made public, the route began in Kalochori and was heading for the New Railway Station of Thessaloniki. It is a relatively short journey, but one that links an industrial zone in the west of the city with a major transport hub from which services depart for the rest of the country. In the course of the police investigation, two mobile phones, a sum of eighty-five euros and the vehicle used for the transport itself were seized.

The preliminary investigation into the case is being conducted by the Mygdonia Migration Management Department, which will forward the case file to the competent prosecuting authority. Authorities are also seeking a foreign national who has been identified and who is alleged to have organised this particular transport. No details have been released about his identity or about whether he is linked to a wider network. The 56-year-old driver faces the charges brought against him, while the presumption of innocence applies in full.

Checks on public-service vehicles are standard practice for police authorities in Northern Greece, as Thessaloniki is a transit hub towards the northern borders. Routes ending at railway stations and intercity bus terminals are monitored systematically. Crime reporting in recent years has repeatedly recorded cases involving professional drivers, with authorities examining in each instance whether the case is an isolated incident or part of organised activity.