SKOPJE, North Macedonia — Police in North Macedonia have detained 44 Syrian migrants, including 14 minors, found carefully hidden in a truck near the southern border with Greece, authorities said Tuesday.

The truck driver was arrested on suspicion of belonging to a migrant-smuggling ring.

A police statement said the migrants were found late Monday during a routine check on a road near the town of Valandovo. They were inside a specially constructed hiding place within the large vehicle.

The migrants are believed to have entered illegally from Greece and to have been headed to Serbia, on their way to wealthier European countries. They were taken to a holding facility pending deportation to Greece.

Police say the Balkan migration route, which leads through North Macedonia, has become more active again this year after the end of pandemic-era travel restrictions.