Forged travel document workshop in Aigaleo – 61-year-old arrested
A fully equipped forgery workshop was discovered in a house in Aigaleo. The 61-year-old foreign national is believed to have charged up to €900 per forged document.
Arrest of 61-year-old for forged passports and Schengen visas in Aigaleo
In the evening hours of 8 October 2026, police officers from the Migration Management Division of the Directorate of Aliens of Attica (G.A.D.A.) arrested a 61-year-old foreign national in Aigaleo, accused of forgery, unlawful possession of travel documents and violations of foreign nationals legislation, according to In.gr.
The 61-year-old was identified as a key member of a network engaged in the illegal trafficking of migrants from Turkey and Iraq to EU countries. The trafficked migrants were initially transported from Turkey to North Macedonia and subsequently, depending on the case, entered Greece illegally or their passports were smuggled into the country, where they were handed over to the accused.
The 61-year-old maintained a house that operated as a "safe house" – a hideout with a fully equipped forgery workshop. There he prepared or falsified travel documents, exploiting specialised knowledge in the field. The central tool of his operation was the manufacture of high-quality forged adhesive consular Schengen visas (visa stickers), which were affixed to migrants' passports and resembled the corresponding genuine ones.
In addition, he printed forged entry stamps on passports, creating the impression of lawful entry and free movement within the Schengen area. In some cases, he also used secondary forged documents in combination with the main ones, in order to enhance the appearance of legitimacy.
During a search of his home, the complete mechanical equipment of the workshop was seized, as well as ready-made forged travel documents. The illegal financial gain of the 61-year-old is estimated at up to €900 per forged document, depending on the type. The network as a whole is estimated to have received up to €8,000 per trafficked individual for transport to a European country.
The operation was carried out within the framework of the National Operational Plan (E.S.E.) and the Operational Action EMPACT 2.2 EAST MED – an EU policy cycle initiative led by Greece. The Directorate of Aliens cooperates with Europol for the analysis of information, given the international nature of the case.
The arrested individual was taken to the competent prosecutorial authority with a full case file against him.
Source: In.gr