Migrant smuggling network using rental cars dismantled across the Balkans

Authorities in Bulgaria, Greece, the Netherlands, and Romania have taken coordinated action against an organised crime group suspected of smuggling migrants through the Balkans using rented, stolen and fraudulently registered vehicles, European police cooperation agency Europol said on July 21.

Led by the Greek authorities and supported by Europol, the investigation targeted a criminal network composed mainly of Syrian and Egyptian nationals suspected of organising the illegal transportation of migrants from Greece through Bulgaria and Romania before facilitating their onward journey to Italy, Europol said.

The action day took place on July 16 2026, with operational activities carried out in Thessaloniki, Athens, Sofia, Bucharest and Etten-Leur.

Europol said that the coordinated action led to the arrest of seven suspects – five in Greece, one in Bulgaria and one in the Netherlands.

So far, authorities have linked the group to 12 migrant smuggling incidents detected between February and July 2026.

A further four earlier incidents remain under investigation and are believed to be connected to the same criminal network, Europol said. The migrants transported were predominantly Egyptian, Iraqi and Syrian nationals.

The investigation uncovered a sophisticated transport network designed to evade law enforcement.

To move migrants across borders, the suspects allegedly:

Transported migrants in small vehicles through Greece, Bulgaria and Romania before transferring them to lorries for the final stage of the journey towards Italy;

Rented vehicles using genuine and forged identity documents before failing to return them;

Purchased and registered cars under the names of third parties or front companies; and

Used stolen vehicles, primarily originating from Greece.

Investigators believe the network operated through dedicated cells in Greece, Bulgaria and Romania, with its members travelling frequently across the Balkans to coordinate the smuggling routes, Europol said.
(Photo: Europol)