Skopje: Nine people, including a police officer, were reportedly detained by North Macedonian authorities on suspicion of transporting a large number of migrants through the country.
All nine Macedonian citizens, including two youths, were taken into custody after 11 locations were searched in the country's capital, Skopje. The police claimed that they were looking for two other people.
The organization, which is accused of smuggling people from Afghanistan, Pakistan, Syria and Greece via North Macedonia to Serbia and eventually on its way to wealthy European countries, is believed to be directed by three Middle Eastern men who have so far Have not been caught.
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According to officials, the organization is also accused of shifting Indian migrants from Serbia to Greece via North Macedonia.
According to authorities, the organization is believed to have trafficked at least 86 individuals over a six-month period between May and October, charging each up to 800 euros ($850) for the move. Later on Wednesday, the nine were to appear before an investigative judge.
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Following the lifting of travel restrictions imposed by several Balkan countries this year as a result of the COVID-19 outbreak, migrant routes running through Greece and the Balkans have become more active once again.
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North Macedonia's Interior Minister Oliver Spasovski recently reported that there were 83 migrant smuggling attempts by police in the first ten months of this year, more than double the number for the same period in 2021.