Six arrests in a network that moved migrants through Schengen airports using false identities

The operation coordinated with Europol’s support targeted a network that allegedly used forged documents to transport migrants by air from mainland Europe to the United Kingdom. Investigators identified routes in 17 countries, more than 1,000 counterfeit documents distributed by one of the cells, and indications of illegal revenues exceeding €2 million.

Six people were arrested in Austria, Italy, Spain and the United Kingdom in an investigation into a network that allegedly transported migrants by air from mainland Europe to the United Kingdom using false identities and documents. The operation, supported by Europol and carried out with the involvement of authorities from 17 countries, also led to ten searches and the seizure of identity documents, electronic equipment, evidence and a substantial sum of money.

In brief

1.According to Europol, most of the migrants targeted by the investigation initially entered the European Union with genuine passports and, in many cases, valid Schengen tourist visas. The original documents were subsequently allegedly destroyed or abandoned and replaced with counterfeit documents supplied by the network.

2.Investigators identified several cells. One of them, based in Vienna, allegedly supplied false documents and used a network of mobile phone shops for the presumed laundering of profits obtained from criminal activities.

3.Another cell, located in Spain, allegedly distributed more than 1,000 false identity documents, transported by couriers from the United Arab Emirates to the EU, North America, South America and the Caribbean. Information gathered in several countries indicates illegal revenues of more than €2 million for the wider network.

4.In the initial phase, authorities in Belgium, Finland, Germany, Iceland, Ireland, Sweden and the Netherlands investigated various routes to the United Kingdom. Europol says that the routes identified during the investigation extended across a total of 17 countries.

5.Europol coordinated the exchange of information and operational and financial analysis, while experts from the European Centre Against Migrant Smuggling were sent to Italy and the United Kingdom to verify in real time the data collected during the operation.

The mechanism described by Europol began, in many of the cases investigated, with legal entry into European territory. The migrants allegedly arrived in the EU with genuine passports and sometimes valid Schengen tourist visas, which initially allowed them to pass border controls using their real identities.

After entering the EU, the original documents were allegedly destroyed or abandoned. The network would then have supplied them with counterfeit documents, used to conceal their real identities and to travel through airports in the Schengen area and Schengen-associated states.

The main objective identified by investigators was to transport migrants by air from mainland Europe to the United Kingdom. The use of multiple airports and documents originating from different sources meant that the investigation involved authorities from numerous states and required the linking of seizures and cases that might initially have appeared unrelated.

Europol describes the structure under investigation as a network made up of several specialized cells. One of these operated in Vienna and included suspects of Afghan and Pakistani nationality. According to the investigation, the group allegedly played an important role in supplying false documents.

The same cell is also suspected of building an infrastructure for managing money obtained from illegal activities. Europol says that the suspects are linked to an extensive network of services, mainly mobile phone shops, which investigators believe may have been used to launder profits.

Another component of the network was identified in Spain. It allegedly supplied a much larger volume of counterfeit documents and contributed to the distribution of more than 1,000 false identity documents.

The documents were allegedly sent by couriers from the United Arab Emirates to destinations not only in the European Union, but also in North America, South America and the Caribbean. This dimension shows that the supply of false documents investigated by the authorities extended beyond migration routes to the United Kingdom.

Information gathered by investigators in several countries suggests that the wider network allegedly generated illegal revenues of more than €2 million. Europol does not specify in the operation’s statement what portion of this amount was identified in accounts, recovered or confiscated, nor the exact period during which the revenues were allegedly obtained.

The main day of the operation took place in Austria, Italy, Spain and the United Kingdom. The six arrests were accompanied by ten residential searches, and the authorities seized identity documents, electronic devices, other evidence and cash.

The geographical scope of the investigation was broader than the states in which the arrests were made. At an earlier stage, authorities in Belgium, Finland, Germany, Iceland, Ireland, Sweden and the Netherlands separately investigated the routes used to move migrants to the United Kingdom. Through the exchange of information, these investigations were linked to the same presumed criminal structure.

The list of participants provided by Europol includes Austria, Belgium, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, the United Kingdom and the United States.

A central element of the case is the link between migrant smuggling and document forgery. Europol warns that networks producing and distributing false documents provide services to other criminal groups and can be difficult to identify when national authorities treat the seizure of each counterfeit document as an isolated incident.

Cross-border exchange of information about seized documents makes it possible to compare their characteristics, routes and the people involved. In the current case, this cooperation helped connect investigations conducted in several states and reconstruct the wider structure that allegedly supplied the documents and organized the journeys.

Europol provided operational coordination, analysis and support for the exchange of information, including for the financial component of the investigation. Two experts from the European Centre Against Migrant Smuggling were sent to Italy and the United Kingdom during the operation to compare the information collected in real time with the agency’s databases and identify new lines of inquiry.

The Centre was established in March 2026 following the expansion of Europol’s mandate to combat migrant smuggling and human trafficking. The new European framework places greater emphasis on the systematic exchange of information, financial investigations, open-source analysis and coordination between Europol, national authorities, Frontex and Eurojust.

The information presented by Europol describes allegations and findings from an ongoing investigation. The statement does not establish the guilt of the arrested individuals and does not provide details regarding any charges brought against them individually, judicial proceedings initiated against them or preventive measures ordered by the national authorities.

https://2eu.brussels/ro/news/sase-arestari-intr-o-retea-care-trecea-migranti-prin-aeroporturile-schengen-cu-identitati-false