Police in Thessaloniki have uncovered a criminal group dealing with illegal adoptions from Bulgaria. During the operation, 12 people were detained, including a lawyer and a doctor, and the entire file includes more than 60 people.

In the investigation, there are dozens of cases of Bulgarian women who have traveled to Greece, accompanied by members of the criminal group, to give birth “on request”. Newborns are given to childless couples for a fee.

The amount of the fee was up to € 25,000 depending on the child and his or her characteristics. There have been cases where the child has been returned to the merchants or the price has dropped if it is not white enough.

Another criminal activity was discovered in the course of the investigation - trafficking in ova from young women. Again, the case is about Bulgarian Roma who gave their eggs to the criminal group that sold them for a fee. In this  case there were also reproduction private clinics involved.