10 arrested for abusing Venezuelan victims in Greece

An investigation led by the Hellenic police (Ellinikí Astynomía), supported by Europol, has led to the dismantling of a criminal network involved in the trafficking of human beings for sexual exploitation. The operation involved Spain (Policía Nacional) and the USA (Homeland Security Investigations) and managed to tear down the criminal group, which had been active since 2014.

During the action day, officers arrested 10 suspects. Six are accused of trafficking in human beings, of which five are Greek nationals and one is a Venezuelan national. These six suspects allegedly belonged to an organised criminal group involved in the sexual and economic exploitation of female victims. The remaining four arrested suspects worked at the onsite locations in which the victims were exploited. The kingpin of the criminal group is accused of trafficking in human beings and money laundering.

Three other members of the criminal organisation (two Greek nationals and one Albanian national) are on the run and wanted by the police, as they are also accused of trafficking in human beings. They are believed to still be in Greece.
 

The actions on 2 December 2023 led to:

• 10 arrests;
• 8 locations searched;
• Seizures including cameras and other surveillance equipment, dozens of mobile phones and laptops, over EUR 6 300 in cash. 

During the operational actions, Greek authorities safeguarded 10 victims of sexual exploitation in Athens. Seven of the victims were Venezuelan nationals. Members of the criminal network recruited the victims in their home countries and transferred them to Greece. There, the criminal network placed the victims in apartments and exploited them at other locations in the centre of Athens. 

The criminal group would make tens of thousands of euros from abusing the victims. Profits were laundered via real estate acquisitions and investments. Europol supported the operational activities, facilitated the exchange of information and provided analytical support. On the action day, Europol deployed one expert to Athens to cross-check operational information in real time and support investigators on the ground.