15 arrested for arranging sham marriages in Cyprus

Europol's Operational Task Force (OTF) in Limassol, Cyprus uncovered a criminal network orchestrating sham marriages in Cyprus for irregular migration into the EU on Monday.

The investigation suggested that the criminal network was also involved in human trafficking and money laundering activities, as well as forcing victims into bogus marriages for immigration purposes.

Operations resulted in the identification of 133 sham marriages of convenience between Portuguese and Latvian women, and Indian and Pakistani men. The marriages enabled the non-EU nationals to obtain residence permits from third countries, which they then used to travel to other European countries.  

With the help of Cypriot, Latvian and Portuguese authorities, 15 individuals were arrested, with four considered high-value targets.