Greek police arrest 63 migrants trying to fly from Crete Island on fake IDs

By reporter

Aug. 11, 2020 - Greek security forces on Tuesday said they had apprehended dozens of migrants on the island of Crete who were attempting to reach European destinations on forged travel documents.

According to the Greek security forces, the 49 men and 14 women tried to travel to Germany, Belgium, France, Italy and Poland from the Heraklion and Chania airports.

They tried to travel between Aug. 3 and 9, Crete’s state, the security forces disclosed.

The Police have also reportedly arrested three alleged smugglers who are said to have sold the forged documents to the migrants.

Migrants with fake documents are stopped almost daily at Greek airports during the European holiday season, with this year proving no exception despite fewer flights due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Smugglers demand between 500 and 3,000 euros (590-3,500 dollars) for forged documents, depending on the quality.