Italian authorities and Europol busted a criminal ring in the Naples area that allegedly falsified driver's licenses, registration cards and national identification documents for migrants, allowing them to elude border controls.

Nine people were arrested. Three are being held under home arrest, while a residence ban in the Italian region of Campania was enacted for the other six.

Forged documents

With the help of foreign intermediaries, the criminal organization worked with various channels to distribute forged passports ready to be printed and personalized with the personal information of the final users.

With these documents, migrants were able to board boats headed to European countries without having to go through the more rigorous controls reserved to persons coming from countries outside the Schengen area.

Highly coordinated operation

The authorities uncovered a complex criminal organization solidly rooted in the provinces of Naples and Salerno.

The operation was structured in specialized units and worked in different interconnected production sites.

All individuals involved appeared to possess a high level of diversified technical and typography abilities.

The group also produced foreign registration certificates needed to finalize nationalization procedures, fabricated papers for vehicles stolen in Italy and abroad and produced counterfeit bank notes.