Seventeen people, including one Ministry of Interior officer and a department head at the Public Services Agency, have been apprehended in an alleged illegal migration scheme that also involved document forgery and money laundering.
Organized crime deputy chief prosecutor Vitalie Busuioc told a press conference today that the members of the group didn’t know each other, and the only connection was the MoI officer. The officer, who remains unnamed, is cooperating with the investigation. Investigators have found that he owed money to a criminal organization.
Alexandru Esaulenco, deputy director of the Security and Intelligence Service, said a Pakistani national was involved in the scheme. It is believed he entered Moldova illegally through the Transnistrian region. Other suspects are residents of the Transnistria region. Some members had criminal pasts and were even allegedly involved in trafficking radioactive material.
Some suspects have already confessed to organizing illegal migration of foreigners from countries with increased risk of terrorism into European countries.
The Organized Crime Prosecutor’s Office and the SIS promise more details as the investigation advances.
