Organized crime

The head of Greece's Anti-Money Laundering Authority, Charalambos Vourliotis, has ordered the freezing of accounts belonging to 140 individuals allegedly involved in a case of fraud, fictitious transactions and VAT evasion amounting to approximately 150 million euros, it was reported on Wednesday.

A confidential report authored by Greek security authorities charting the activity of the Turkish mafia in Greece has issued a stern warning about the risk of its being used as a tool by secret services. The multi-page report coincides with the recent arrest of armed Turkish mobsters in Greece on two separate occasions within the space of three days.

Greek police have dismantled a criminal organization involved in a sophisticated "carousel fraud" scheme, which involved setting up fake companies to carry out fraudulent transactions and expenses totaling tens of millions of euros.

Smugglers ferrying migrants from Turkey to Greece's eastern islands have in two cases adopted the new and dangerous tactic of knocking some passengers off their speedboats into the sea to avoid capture by pursuing coast guards, Greek authorities say.

On August 19, a major police operation aimed at dismantling an international migrant trafficking ring operating along the so-called "Western Balkan route" was conducted in the Plovdiv region of Bulgaria, BNT reports. This route spans from Turkey through Bulgaria, Serbia, and Romania, ultimately reaching Western Europe.

An Istanbul court has ordered the release of influencer Dilan Polat, who was arrested with her husband, Engin Polat, last November as part of a large-scale money laundering investigation.

The decision on Aug. 19 follows an objection to her continued detention.

Istanbul Governor Davut Gül said on Aug. 9 authorities have dismantled 119 criminal gangs in the city this year, following 747 operations that resulted in the apprehension of over 3,500 individuals.

Nearly 1,700 of those were arrested, and around 700 were released on probation.

The founder of the social kitchen “Other Man” (O Allos Anthropos) Konstantinos Polychronopoulos, his mother and brother-in-law have been prosecuted for setting up a criminal organisation and money laundering.

A criminal organization that was smuggling illegal immigrants from Turkey to Greece has been dismantled.

Hundreds of students have been implicated in a money laundering scheme, where many were tricked into renting out their bank accounts, resulting in substantial prison sentences.