A criminal organization that was active in falsifying the examination for obtaining a professional aircraft pilot’s license was dismantled by the Department of Prosecution of Criminal Organizations and Transnational Affairs of the Sub-Directorate for Combating Organized Crime and Human Trafficking of the Attica Security Directorate

As part of an organized police operation, 3 citizens, aged 70, 43 and 69 years old respectively, were arrested, members of the criminal gang, as well as 2 more citizens, candidates for aircraft operators being considered.

The operation was carried out in the early hours of yesterday, Thursday, May 11, 2023, in the greater Athens area, with the assistance of police officers from the Organized Crime and Human Trafficking Sub-Directorate of the Thessaloniki Security Directorate and the Preveza Security Department.

Against those arrested, as well as against 16 other people – prospective aircraft pilots, a case file was filed for – as the case may be – criminal organization – gang, obtaining a false certificate, as an accomplice, as a follower and by profession, as well as for attempting to obtain a false certificate of cooperation.

The chronicle of their action –

It was preceded by appropriate utilization of evidence in the context of a thorough pre-investigative process and the use of special investigative methods, from the combined analysis of which it emerged the existence of an operationally structured criminal organization – gang, which at least since January 2023 was active in falsifying the result of the examination process for the acquisition aircraft pilot’s license using audio-visual equipment for financial gain.

The examinees for the acquisition of a professional aircraft pilot’s license were basically students of Pilot Schools, who were either unable to obtain the said license after their failed attempts, or did not want to study the theoretical material of the examined courses.

How did they act?

In particular, in terms of their mode of action (modus operandi) they followed the following methodology:

The candidates approached the members of the organization, either through third parties, who had previously managed to obtain the license in question in the same irregular way (“word of mouth”), or through people who were in the aviation “space” as instructors of pilot-pilot candidates.

A member of the gang organization informed the candidates about the methodology he was following, during which he would guide them through audio-visual devices so that they could choose the correct answers.

In fact, the gang preferred exams of a certified company in a European country, as the candidates’ questions were published on an online platform and therefore the gang members could identify the correct answers.

In the event that the candidate was enrolled in a Pilot School abroad, the gang granted him a certificate of studies from the Pilot School of a member of the organization based in a city in Northern Greece, in which they falsely asserted that he had been taught the theoretical material of the courses, in order to participate in the exams organized by the above company.

In this way, the members of the gang managed to examine prospective foreign nationals living abroad at the company’s examination center in Greece, without their action being noticed.

Before conducting the theoretical exams, the 70-year-old conducted tests with the candidates, while indicating to them items of clothing that they should wear so that the audio-visual devices would not be detected. Subsequently, on the day of the theoretical examination, he directed the examinee to where he should stand and dictated the correct answers.

The code names

To communicate with each other, the gang members used code words such as “teleassistance” to describe the irregular procedure, “pill” to describe the louse-type headset, and “machines” or “things” to describe the audio-visual devices.

In this way the members of the organization succeeded in granting professional aircraft operator’s licenses to at least 5 people, with the total estimated property benefit amounting to at least 39,000 eurosas each candidate paid, on average, the amount of 7,800 euros.

In addition, it was established that in an earlier time they had succeeded in granting aircraft pilot’s licenses to another 10 people.

What did the investigations find?

From the searches carried out, among others, the following were found and seized:

  • the sum of 5,570 euros,
  • 7 micro cameras,
  • 9 “louse” headphones,
  • 23 mobile phone devices,
  • 2 shirts, with an electronic device with a micro-camera embedded in their inner part and on the left sleeve,
  • 3 electronic antennas,
  • central computer unit and
  • number of SIM cards, usb, tablets.

Those arrested, with the case filed against them, will be taken to the competent prosecuting authority, while investigations into verification and other cases of illegal acquisition of an aircraft pilot’s license continue.