ELAS: How the action of 14 criminal organisations was dismantled – 20,000-page file, 132 people involved

Greek police (EL.AS) have dismantled 14 criminal organizations operating in various areas of the country. Specifically, as part of the investigations, twelve criminal organizations involved in burglary and robbery were dismantled, one organization engaged in usury and extortion, and one organization involved in the production and distribution of forged documents.

In the official press conference held today, the General Inspector of Northern Greece, Major General Christos Bouloumbasis, expressed his deep satisfaction with the success of the operation and thanked the officers who worked on completing this operation. He specifically highlighted the capability and professionalism of the team, which led to significant results.

The General Police Director of Thessaloniki, Brigadier General Georgios Papadopoulos, stated that during the operation, a total of 37 individuals were arrested, 35 of whom are Greek nationals and 2 are foreign nationals. Additionally, he mentioned that the operation has led to the recording of 553 criminal acts, with the total illegal benefit exceeding 2,760,000 euros.

See video and photos:

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The details of the ELAS press conference on the dismantling of 14 criminal organisations

Lieutenant General Christos Bouloubasis, Inspector General of the Police of Northern Greece

Good evening ladies and gentlemen

Thank you for your presence. We have invited you today to present to you a great success of the Greek Police, and in particular of the Property Crimes Department of the Thessaloniki Security Directorate, which concerns the dismantling of a number of criminal organizations – gangs, which were involved in various offences.

At this point, I would like to offer my congratulations to all the colleagues who worked on this case, whose skill and professionalism brought significant results.

More detailed information on the police investigations will be presented by the General Police Director of Thessaloniki, Major General Georgios Papadopoulos, the Director of the Thessaloniki Security Directorate, Major General Georgios Tzimas and the Head of the Thessaloniki Journalists’ Information Office, Police Officer A’ Christos Dimitrakopoulos. Thank you.

General Police Director of Thessaloniki, Major General Georgios Papadopoulos

Good evening,

First of all, I would like to take my turn to congratulate all my colleagues who participated in the police investigations in order to reach this great success and to assure the citizens that our efforts, whose ultimate goal is their protection, will continue unabated.

As far as the results of the operations and investigations carried out are concerned, a total of fourteen (14) criminal organizations were dismantled, the activities of which relate to the commission of robberies, grand thefts, extortion, extortion, loan sharking, drug trafficking, money laundering from illegal activities, preparation and distribution of fake identity cards, acts that took place in areas of Thessaloniki, Serres and Attica.

A total of thirty-seven (37) persons from the involved – members of the criminal organizations were arrested for the case, in execution of the same number of arrest warrants, five hundred and fifty-three (553) criminal acts were identified, while the illegal property – financial benefit exceeds 2,760,000 euros.

As for the groups’ modus operandi, it is worth noting that the members of the criminal organizations:

– in house burglaries, they avoided their criminal activity to take place in the evening and on public holidays, as this increased the chances of the occupants being inside their houses, while in shop burglaries they chose these days because the shops were closed,

– they checked the intercoms of the apartment buildings and if they found that the tenants were on a nominal holiday, and therefore absent for recreation, they carried out the burglary; and

– in order to destroy any incriminating evidence, they either rejected the vehicles they used in the Kalochori lagoon, or proceeded to set them on fire,

More details on the case will be presented by the Director of Security of Thessaloniki, Major General Georgios Tzimas.

Thank you.

Director of the Security Directorate of Thessaloniki, Major General Georgios Tzimas

Good evening and thank you for your presence.

The thorough, intensive and long investigation by the experienced police officers of the Crimes against Property Department of the Sub-Directorate for Crimes against Life and Property of the Thessaloniki Security Directorate, resulted in the deconstruction of fourteen (14) criminal organizations – gangs, whose members are involved, among others, in the following offences: “Establishment, management and membership of a criminal organization – gang”, “Aggravated theft”, “Robbery”, “Legalization of proceeds from illegal activities”, “Forgery”, “Extortion”, “Usury”, “Acceptance and disposal of proceeds of crime within a criminal organization”, “Arson”, “Circulation of counterfeit currency”, “False statement”, “Weapons legislation”, “Addictive substances legislation”, “Aliens legislation” and “Providing a prisoner with a mobile phone”, committed during the period from 14-07-2020 to 16-05-2024, in areas of Thessaloniki, Serres and Attica, committed in the period from 14-07-2020 to 16-05-2024, in the areas of Thessaloniki, Serres and Attica.
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The multi-page file, which exceeds (20,000) pages and was formed against (132) total involved – members, after its completion was forwarded to the Prosecutor of Thessaloniki and after the prosecution and referral for main interrogation, relevant arrest warrants were issued.

Then, in order to deconstruct the criminal organizations, on Monday 26 August 2024, after a diligent and thorough organization by the Department of Crimes against Property, parallel coordinated special police operations were carried out by the Thessaloniki Security Directorate with the participation of police officers from the Sub-Directorates and Security Departments of the Thessaloniki Security Directorate, the Police Operations and Direct Action Directorates of Thessaloniki, the Security Directorate of Attica, the Sub-Directorate of Police of Thira, as well as the Department of the Special Anti-Replacement Team of Thessaloniki and the Police Dog Escort Department of the Sub-Directorate of Special Police Forces of Northern Greece.

The above police operations took place in various areas of Thessaloniki, Imathia, Attica, Halkidiki and Santorini, during which a total of thirty-seven (37) persons – members of the criminal organizations (35 nationals – 2 foreigners) were arrested, while it was discovered that twenty-one (21) of the perpetrators – members are already incarcerated in the country’s Detention Centres for other offences.

Specifically, within the framework of the investigations, twelve (12) criminal organizations engaged in grand theft and robbery, one (1) criminal organization engaged in loan sharking and extortion and one (1) criminal organization engaged in the preparation and trafficking of forged documents were dismantled.

From the combined study and utilization of the information and data obtained during the conduct of general and special investigative acts, police methods and tactics, with the assistance of the Department of Collection and Management of Operational Information of the Thessaloniki Security Directorate, the distinct roles that the members of each criminal group had among themselves, as well as their methodology of action (modus operandi), which was proportional to the purpose of their formation, emerged.

In addition, it is important to mention that some of the members of the organizations, in order to give legitimacy to their illegally obtained income, paid money for the establishment and operation of businesses – shops, for renovation of houses, for purchases of cars and houses, as well as for acquisitions of sentences.

More details as to the modus operandi and methods of the criminal organizations will be provided by Police Officer A’ Christos Dimitrakopoulos.

Thanks.

Head of the Information Office of Thessaloniki Journalists Police Officer Christos Dimitrakopoulos

Thank you General.

Good evening ladies and gentlemen.

As part of the police operations carried out yesterday, Monday, August 26, 2024, and organized by the Property Crimes Department of the Thessaloniki Security Directorate, the actions of fourteen (14) criminal organizations were detected, whose members had distinct roles, main and auxiliary, and their actions were determined by the leading members, depending on their particular skills.

Specifically, the actions were calibrated:

– One (1) criminal organization whose members were involved in 2 robberies, 10 house burglaries, 6 vehicle thefts and 3 license plate thefts, with the illegal benefit gained from their criminal activity exceeding (1,476,000) euros, of which (1,100,000) euros came from the burglary of a house.

Specifically, as to their modus operandi, the members of the organization targeted homes of persons of high economic and social status and then proceeded to disable the security systems. In addition, they used stolen vehicles with license plates that they had removed from others at an earlier time, which after their criminal action they would dump them in the lagoon of Kalochori, in order to avoid detection by the police authorities and to destroy possible incriminating evidence.

– Eleven (11) criminal organizations whose members acted by forming small and flexible groups and committed a total of 486 criminal acts (-7- robberies, -152- burglaries of houses – companies – shops, -315- thefts – burglaries of vehicles, -12- thefts of state license plates, etc.).

The groups used stolen or rented vehicles, driven by members with special driving skills and knowledge of the areas of operation, spotted their targets and watched (lookouts) for the presence of police forces, carefully planned their escape routes, frequently changed their meeting points to avoid detection, and used portable transceivers to monitor police frequencies.

After committing the crimes, they thoroughly cleaned the operational vehicles they used and concealed them, and in some cases they proceeded to burn or dump the stolen vehicles in the Kalochori lagoon in order to destroy incriminating evidence.

As for the stolen goods, they destroyed the objects of no value (empty bags, documents, etc.), hid some of them in specially designed places, while those of particularly high value were sold or handed over to specific members of the organizations in order to keep them (as an “informal” bank).

– One (1) criminal organization whose members were involved in (6) cases of usury and one (1) of extortion, where they exploited financially vulnerable people, providing loans with exorbitant interest (40%) and using extortionate methods to collect the debts, the illegal financial benefit of which exceeds (19,500) euros.

– One (1) criminal organization whose members are involved in the preparation and trafficking of fraudulent documents with the purpose of misleading law enforcement authorities. Specifically, in the context of the investigation it was revealed that a member of the above criminal organizations obtained from the organization a fake identity card, while other members sought to obtain fake medical certificates, which would falsely certify that they suffered from a certain date or period of time from a certain disease or were hospitalized in a hospital, in order to present them to the judicial authorities as evidence of defense.

– In addition, the action of three (3) of the identified members of the organizations for supplying prisoners with mobile phones was discerned in at least three (3) cases, during which they passed through the exterior of a Detention Facility and dropped in the yard improvised packages containing mobile phone devices in order to deliver them to a prisoner – member of the above criminal organizations. Furthermore, the investigation revealed that in the year 2021 a prisoner in a Detention Facility procured a mobile phone device from an employee of this Detention Facility.

– In addition, thirty-two (32) of the persons involved – members of the criminal organizations – gangs, were involved in eighteen (18) cases of supply, possession and further trafficking of quantities of heroin, cocaine and cannabis, illegal possession of a total of seven (07) firearms, in cases of promotion within the country of foreigners – citizens of third countries who had no right to enter the Greek territory, as well as in one (01) case of bribery of a witness in a criminal case, who, for financial gain, testified false facts and evidence during the hearing.

During the operations conducted at 34 residences, the total amount of money of (12.780,00) euros, (42) male and female wristwatches, (50) gold jewellery – valuables of various kinds (earrings, rings etc.), a gold pound of England, (06) computer game consoles, mobile phone devices and telephone connection packages, two gas pistols, (47) crackling cartridges, one (01) double-barreled shotgun with the barrels cut off, a portable transceiver tuned to the frequencies of EL.AS and a small amount of raw cannabis.

The arrestees will be taken to the appropriate prosecutor.

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