Dozens of phony passports found in forger bust

Two men aged 36 and 41 have been arrested for forgery, violating immigration laws and other crimes after police found 196 phony passports, driver's licenses, ID cards and residence permits during raids on their respective homes in downtown Athens, the force said in a press release on Thursday.

Both suspects, identified only as foreign nationals, have been investigated in the past for similar offenses, accused of helping undocumented migrants travel to and around the European Union with false papers.

Several of the undoctored passports that were found have been reported missing or stolen by authorities in Greece and other parts of the bloc.