[File photo, InTime]
A factory owner and his former partner have been sentenced to a combined eight years in prison after being found guilty of participating in a criminal gang that kept undocumented migrants locked inside a factory and demanded ransom from their relatives for their release.
The two were taken directly to prison following their conviction by the Three-Member Criminal Court of Appeal in Thessaloniki.
The case came to light in August 2018 in western Thessaloniki, when a local resident reported suspicious activity at the factory. During a subsequent police raid, officers discovered seven migrants being held inside. Alongside the two defendants, the case file also refers to three additional, unidentified, suspects.
According to the case file, the woman acted as a “guard,” providing food and shelter to the migrants while keeping them confined. Her former partner, the factory owner, denied any involvement, claiming he had been working for an extended period on the Greek islands and was unaware of what was happening on his property.