Human trafficking

A criminal organization involved in trafficking foreigners to exploit them for begging was been dismantled on Tuesday in Athens by the Organized Crime division.

The former chief executive of Abercrombie & Fitch, Mike Jeffries, and his British partner, Matthew Smith, have been arrested and face human trafficking charges, according to BBC sources. The two men were arrested Tuesday morning, along with an alleged accomplice who allegedly played the role of a middleman.

The Daily Mail reports on a joint operation conducted by British and Bulgarian authorities aimed at combating human trafficking across the English Channel. This collaboration resulted in the seizure of 125 inflatable boats, 128 engines, over 700 pumps, and 300 rubber rings, totaling 33 seizures of goods.

In a large-scale operation aimed at curbing migrant smuggling, Turkish security forces apprehended 84 migrant smugglers and 1,029 irregular migrants across 27 of the country's 81 provinces, Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya has announced.

The four-day operation, titled "Shield-27," was announced by Yerlikaya, who emphasized the government's determination to combat human trafficking.

Todor Batkov, owner of a worker import agency, discussed the growing issue of illegal human trafficking through Bulgaria in an appearance on Nova TV. Batkov highlighted that Bulgaria is becoming a significant hotspot for illegal trafficking operations aimed at Western Europe.

A Romanian court has decided to place Andrew Tate under house arrest, as confirmed by his representative late last night, according to Reuters. The popular social media influencer, who holds both British and American citizenship, is currently being investigated for human trafficking and sexual exploitation.

Early this morning, Romanian police conducted new raids at the home of Andrew Tate, a controversial internet influencer currently awaiting trial on charges of human trafficking, rape, and forming an organized crime group to exploit women for creating pornographic content.

Barzan Majeed, a recently-arrested Iraqi migrant trafficking kingpin known as "Scorpion," had been operating within Greek territory, Kathimerini understands.

Information gleaned from migrant smuggling networks suggests that Majeed resided and conducted operations in Greece from 1999 until late 2005, before relocating to the UK.

Customs officer Georgi Gospodinov keeps a vigilant eye out for unusual cargo at Bulgaria's Kapitan Andreevo border crossing, a critical checkpoint in the fight against migrant trafficking to Britain. Despite being over 150 kilometers from the nearest sea, Gospodinov and his colleagues have become instrumental in thwarting smugglers' attempts to transport migrants across the English Channel.

A recently unveiled Europol report has shown the pervasive influence of criminal networks in the European Union, particularly implicating Bulgarians, Romanians, Serbs, and Ukrainians in the most perilous operations related to human trafficking for labor and sexual exploitation.