Greece jails Palestinian over lucrative migrant smuggling ring February 21, 2018Migrants trying to reach European soil (AP/Santi Palacios)(AP/Santi Palacios)Greece jails Palestinian over lucrative migrant smuggling ringA Palestinian who ran a multi-million dollar smuggling ring was sent to prison by a Greek court. By: APA Greek court in the northern city of Thessaloniki has convicted a Palestinian of running a major migrant-smuggling ring and sentenced him to 13 years in prison.Judges ruled Tuesday that 29-year-old Jamal Owda was active during the height of Europe’s immigration crisis, from July 2014 to December 2015 — when he was arrested in Britain following a Greek request.Migrants allegedly paid the ring 1,500 euros ($1,900) each to be taken from Greece to Serbia by road, at a time before Balkan countries closed their borders to check migratory flows.The traffickers’ annual revenues exceeded 10 million euros ($12 million).Owda, who denied the charges, was extradited to Greece last year after British authorities rejected his asylum application.Another 22 people have earlier been convicted of belonging to the group. GreeceIllegal migrants
