Transnational organized crime

The Sofia Police Department (SDVR) has dismantled a criminal group involved in making threats, extortion, and racketeering, reports BNT.

Initial reports indicate that the group was engaged in collecting unpaid debts through illegal means.

The investigation was launched following complaints submitted by victims.

In a dramatic turn of events, two Greek nationals connected to the notorious Greek Mafia have been detained in Dubai, raising questions about the reach and ramifications of organized crime across borders.

Police have dismantled a criminal gang responsible for over 100 burglaries and thefts across the Attica region.

So far, 22 individuals have been detained, with more than 11 arrests made. During the raids, authorities seized weapons, drugs and stolen goods.

Four people were arrested in the Athenian district of Kolonos late Wednesday night for shooting a 25-year-old man, Greek Police said Thursday. The victim was not injured.

The suspects, aged 32, 26, 23 and 20, will be led before a prosecutor later in the day. They are facing charges of attempted attempted homicide and violation of laws on weapons.

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.

A Greek appeals court on Friday reduced the prison sentences of 11 men involved in trafficking 1.2 metric tons of cocaine from the Caribbean into Europe and Africa, in one of the biggest drug busts in Greece's history.

Police in Mykonos and Athens have arrested four people on suspicion of membership of a gang that operated protection rackets in the two locations.

In a coordinated police operation late Wednesday in Mykonos, the two members of the gang were arrested after collecting protection money from a shop owner.

On Friday, July 25, everything seemed to be running smoothly at the private airport in El Paso, Texas, as a private Lear jet landed in the midday heat.

Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada, the “invisible” leader of the Sinaloa drug cartel and the man who believed he succeeded El Chapo, was as calm as he could be with a hood over his head until the plane came to a stop.

It appears that various criminal rackets have taken root in certain popular tourist destinations and that local authorities are in no position to deal with them effectively. This may stem from a lack of resources or from the fact that these rackets have grown so powerful that the local authorities simply cannot counter them.

Greek media have reported that Bulgarian and Russian mafia groups are active in the tourist regions of Northern Greece, specifically in Kavala, Thassos, and Halkidiki. According to a journalistic investigation, these criminal organizations have infiltrated local businesses, particularly nightclubs and tourist companies, often using fake identities to rent establishments.