The Gulf Coast Guard says it has revealed an organized criminal group that has participated in an international human trafficking operation.
According to a Coast Guard publication, the group consists mainly of people living in Finland and Greece, who are now suspected of organizing and attempting to organize illegal travel for illegal immigrants to Finland and other European countries.
The investigation began in mid-July, when Estonian police notified the Finnish Border Guard of a person presenting a forged British passport at Tallinn Airport. Documents referring to Finland had been found in the person in question.
The Crime Prevention Unit of the Gulf Coast Guard and the Estonian authorities identified a permanent Finnish resident who was said to have handed over a forged passport to a person arrested in Tallinn and followed that person from Helsinki to Tallinn Airport.
“The investigation of the case revealed a criminal association operating at least in Finland and Greece and operating at least since autumn 2019, which organizes forged Finnish and British passports for illegal entry,” the press release said.
According to the Coast Guard, couriers traveling between Finland and Greece delivered passports to the members of the group.
Multiple arrests
At the end of October, a person suspected of belonging to the gang was arrested at Helsinki-Vantaa Airport. Several Finnish passports and residence permits, a Finnish identity card and a health care card were found in the suspect’s possession and hidden in the components of their suitcases.
The suspect is believed to have transported documents to Greece for forgery and use in illegal entry.
"Some of these documents held by the person had been reported stolen, but some are suspected of selling to the group," Jukka Tekokoski The statement of the Crime Prevention Unit of the Gulf Coast Guard was announced on Thursday.
According to investigators, several people have been arrested and detained, and several home searches have been conducted in various parts of Helsinki.
Source: The Nordic Page
