At least 100 migrants tried to enter Greece with the help of five police officers who are now in custody pending trial over cooperation with human traffickers.
The accused officers testified before an examining magistrate in Orestiada, located in northeastern Greece, since Saturday morning.
Internal affairs agents have been investigating the five officers since October 2022, when they aroused suspicions by volunteering to patrol together at specific times. The transcripts of their phone conversations, which run over 2,000 pages, have also been monitored.
Authorities claimed that the officers assisted in at least 12 border crossings by cooperating with four undetermined nationality traffickers based in Turkey. The officers were believed to accept payment from the migrants' money collected by the traffickers.
The officers were arrested last Monday, and police found €26,000 ($28,000) and almost 60 mobile phones in their possession.
