Human trafficking numbers register jump in May-July at Evros region, police report
The number of undocumented migrants entering the country and of human traffickers arrested in Greece during the three months of 2022 (May-July) has risen sharply compared to the same time in 2021, the Hellenic Police headquarters said on Tuesday.
In releasing its seven-month statistics, the police said particularly high numbers were noted at the Evros land borders with Turkey where most human traffickers were arrested. Of a total 386 traffickers arrested at land or sea borders from January to July 2022, 312 were apprehended in the Evros region. Of these latter, in particular, 219 were arrested in the last three months (May-July 2022), an increase of 58.7% over the same three months in 2021 (when 138 were arrested).
Undocumented migrants
In a similar way, entry of undocumented migrants to Greece rose 113.1% in May-July 2022 compared to the same time in 2021 (4,126 migrants in 2022 compared to 1,936 in 2021).
In total, 7,484 migrants were arrested for illegal entry to Greece in the seven months of January-July 2022. Of the total, 3,554 were arrested in the Evros border region.
The Greek police headquarters said that they have achieved significant results in arresting traffickers, in collaboration with domestic and EU agencies, at Greek and therefore EU borders, while they noted that their priority was to protect human lives.
(Source: ana-mpa)
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