Greek authorities have arrested a 50-year-old man in the northern city of Thessaloniki on charges related to the illegal transport of migrants, according to the Hellenic Police. The suspect, an Albanian national, was stopped after allegedly attempting to flee a police check on a major motorway linking northern Greece.

Police said the man was driving a private vehicle carrying five Afghan nationals, including three accompanied minors. Officers from the Thessaloniki Migration Management Unit spotted the car traveling on the Egnatia Odos highway, a key transport route across northern Greece. When signaled to stop, the driver reportedly ignored police instructions and accelerated, prompting a brief pursuit. The vehicle was eventually brought to a halt at a nearby interchange.

Authorities said the migrants did not possess valid travel documents and had entered Greece irregularly via the Evros region near the country’s northeastern border. The suspect is believed to have picked them up there with the intention of transporting them further inland.

Police also confirmed that the man was already facing legal issues, including an outstanding arrest warrant issued by an investigating judge in western Greece in connection with a separate drug trafficking case.