Counterfeit Network Producing Travel Documents for Migrants Uncovered – One Arrested

A fully equipped laboratory that produced counterfeit travel documents, primarily intended to facilitate illegal migration by air, was discovered on Tuesday (May 27, 2025) in Attica during a police operation. Following an investigation by the Directorate of Foreigners in Attica and leveraging crucial intelligence data, one man was arrested. Formal charges were filed against him for forgery and violating passport/travel document laws. The accused had been producing fake travel documents since at least 2024, charging between €300 and €900 per document depending on its type and country of origin. He took extensive measures to conceal his criminal activities, including setting up the lab in a private room and using encrypted communication apps to receive orders from human smuggling networks. The documents were delivered discreetly through accomplices. During the raid, authorities seized numerous items, including printers, scanners, a portable computer, a heat sealer, UV detection equipment, external digital storage devices, over 880 digital travel documents, raw materials mimicking security features of genuine documents, and two mobile phones. Additionally, physical documents from various countries were confiscated, including identity cards, passports, residence permits, driver’s licenses, international protection application forms, insurance cards, special tourist visas, and security holograms. According to ELAS, the combination of equipment and digital evidence suggests the ability to produce counterfeit documents on a professional scale, with estimated illegal profits exceeding €120,000. The suspect has been handed over to the competent prosecutor’s office, while the seized documents and digital evidence will be sent to the Criminal Research Directorate for further analysis.