Athens, Jun. 23, (dpa/GNA) – Police on the Mediterranean island of Cyprus have reportedly broken up a smuggling ring that sold forged residence documents to migrants.
Several hundred people without asylum or protection status are believed to have used the bogus papers to travel to other EU countries, including Germany, Cyprus state radio reported on Friday, citing the police.
Fourteen suspected members of the gang have been arrested and the search continues for further participants in the smuggling operation.
People who have been granted a residence permit or asylum in an EU country can travel to other EU states and stay there for up to three months.
Some migrants then go into hiding or reapply for asylum in another EU country that is richer than Cyprus. According to EU statistics, the island republic with around 1.2 million inhabitants has by far the highest number of asylum applications per year, measured by population size.
GNA