Greek police have successfully dismantled a criminal organization that trafficked Nepalese migrants into Greece for agricultural labour, exploiting them under harsh conditions. The Anti-Trafficking Department of the Greek Police arrested key members of this nine-person gang, which had been luring Nepalese workers with promises of better financial rewards only to subject them to modern slavery.
The organization targeted migrants from Nepal who were legally employed in Romania, transporting them to Greece under false pretenses. Once in Greece, the migrants’ travel documents were confiscated, and they were forced into seasonal agricultural work to pay off fabricated debts. The gang’s primary operation involved transporting these migrants to various villages in the Greek countryside, particularly for strawberry picking near Lapas in Western Achaea, in the Peloponnese region.
A 29-year-old woman and a 30-year-old man from Nepal were among those arrested, while five other members of the organization, aged between 33 and 61, are still at large. These individuals face charges of criminal organization, human trafficking, and violations of the migration code. The suspects hail from Bangladesh and Pakistan, with two unidentified Greek nationals also involved.
Greek police spokeswoman Konstantina Dimoglidou detailed how the gang operated since September 2023, moving migrants from Romania to Serbia by air, then illegally transporting them via North Macedonia into Greece using private vehicles. Initially held in Thessaloniki and later in Athens, the migrants’ travel documents were seized upon arrival. Supervisors and gang members monitored the migrants, controlling their movements and funneling the money they earned back to the criminal organization.
During the police operation, authorities seized travel documents, notes about the Nepalese migrants, records of money transfers, and 950 euros in cash. One of the victims received assistance from the Greek police, supported by the human trafficking NGOs A21 and OUR GREECE.
The arrested individuals have been presented to the Athens District Attorney’s office for further legal proceedings. This crackdown highlights the ongoing issue of migrant exploitation in Greece. Investigative reports, such as those by Greek media outlet Solomon, have previously exposed the dire conditions faced by migrant agricultural workers. In 2021, it was found that 10,000 migrant workers were living in makeshift camps in strawberry fields in Ilia, Peloponnese, underscoring the severity and scale of the problem.