Authorities in Poland have uncovered a major human smuggling operation involving officials from a district labor office in the Mazowieckie region, central Poland. The group allegedly helped

more than 12,500 migrants from Central Asia, Africa, and Eastern Europe enter Poland illegally by issuing fake work permits.

The Polish Border Guard, working with the District Prosecutor’s Office in Grójec, arrested three individuals in connection with the case. Two high-ranking labor office officials are now in temporary custody for three months. They face charges of being part of an organized criminal group and facilitating illegal border crossings.

The scheme, which ran from 2018 to 2024, allowed foreign nationals to receive documents used to apply for Polish visas. These visas also granted access to other Schengen Area countries. The group used both real and fake employer information to submit fraudulent work permit applications.

During raids on the suspects’ homes and the labor office, authorities seized over 117,000 PLN (around €27,300), three vehicles, and important evidence, including documents and digital data.

The arrests are the result of months-long efforts by the Border Guard's investigative team in Radom, who had previously uncovered a similar scheme at the same labor office. Photo by Grzegorz W. Tężycki, Wikimedia commons.