Cyprus-led sting operation busts illegal European immigration ring that arranged sham marriages

NICOSIA, Cyprus (AP) — Cyprus officials say they led a Europol-organized sting operation that dismantled an international criminal ring facilitating illegal immigration and residency in European Union countries using more than 130 sham marriages on the east Mediterranean island nation. Police said Wednesday the sham marriages involved women from Portugal and Lithuania and men from India, Bangladesh and Pakistan. The ring was implicated in a host of illegal activities associated with the sham marriages, including and assisting in illegal entry into the country. Police in Cyprus, Portugal and Lithuania initiated the joint sting operation on Jan. 29. They conducted simultaneous searches in targeted homes and arrested 13 suspects in Cyprus, one in Portugal and another in Lithuania.