Greek police arrest 8 smugglers who brought in 49 migrants

THESSALONIKI, Greece – Greek police say they have arrested eight migrant traffickers who smuggled 49 migrants through Greece’s land border with Turkey.

The arrests of the traffickers, six Bulgarians, a Syrian and a Pakistani, were made Saturday in northeastern Greece, most close to the border.

The biggest case involved two Bulgarians who had stashed 17 Syrians in a crypt inside a tourist bus.

In two other cases, police chased down two vehicles to arrest four Bulgarian smugglers. In one, a lone driver carried five Pakistanis, three Syrians and three Somalis in a van. In the other, a Bulgarian driver and two accomplices crashed a bus carrying 10 migrants from Syria, Pakistan and Bangladesh into a railing. No one was hurt.

Such incidents occur almost daily, although police say they increase during weekends.