Vangelis Zambounis

Two bombing incidents this year at a gas station in Piraeus on March 8 and a liquor store in Kallithea on March 11, as well as a shootout with Kalashnikovs on Syngrou Avenue on March 23, were just the latest incidents in the ongoing turf war between rival gangs despite the recent police crackdown on the so-called Greek mafia.

The execution of mobster Vangelis Zambounis in the Athens suburb of Neos Kosmos on January 14 was just the tip of the iceberg in a case that began unfolding about two years ago, involving ethnic Greeks from the former Soviet Union who appear to have embarked on a campaign of sorts to push out rival leaders of the so-called Greek Mafia. 

The police investigation into Sunday's Mafia-style execution of 44-year-old Vangelis Zambounis, a prominent underworld figure, in the Neos Kosmos suburb of Athens is reportedly focusing on the release of a mobster from prison 10 days ago, the rumored reversal of his business relations in recent months and his possible involvement in the war between Russian-speaking smugglers.

Two officers of the police's motorcycle division were arrested on Monday for leaking a video showing the body of a man who was gunned down in a mafia-style execution in the Athens suburb of Neos Kosmos in the early hours of Sunday.

The officers were arrested by the Internal Affairs division for breaching official confidentiality.