Criminals caught at Budapest Airport

Proceedings have been launched for alleged people smuggling against three Hungarian and two Chinese citizens, airport police said on the police.hu website on Friday.

The suspects apprehended recently had been supplying counterfeit identity cards, passports and driving licences to Chinese people since last October and they have also been regularly involved in transporting them, the statement said. The documents enabling the holder visa-free entry to the European Union were sold for several tens of thousands of euros each, it added.

In addition to trading with British, Slovenian, Greek and Portuguese documents, the suspects were transporting Chinese citizens to Liszt Ferent Airport in Budapest. Police have seized cash totalling in value nearly 100 million forints in pound sterling, euros, Norwegian crowns, Czech crowns and Chinese yuan, high-value cars and counterfeit documents during house searches held at seven locations simultaneously. Airport police have taken into custody five people and initiated their arrest.