Fuel and drink counterfeiting ring: “Priest”, “Magus” and revealing dialogues

The revelatory dialogues, the codenames and the general manner of the perpetrator of the ring that adulterated drinks and fuel come to light.

The 62-year-old leader of the organization was codenamed “Father” as he was formerly a priest in London, while another member of the organization, 65, who was responsible for the fuel adulteration, was nicknamed “Magus”.

At the same time, there were 28 other people who had the ability to prepare 260 tons in 45 days.

Indicative was the conversation the organization had after the damage caused by adulterated fuel at a gas station in Kalamata.

Priest

In each pallet, 120 and the 5 cubic meters that were leaving Kalamata, c…..ne a store, because we had told him, one by one you work and when we say c…..ne the store, if it is not you and me, they ask for him who sent him to c…. .
And I say he goes, it’s Thessaloniki.

Magician

41 years old

ok

Priest

A shop c……. in Kalamata, because one to one clean gasoline we said, that it is one to one, that it has clean gasoline inside.

57 years old

I explained to you that my friend the pharmacist (drinker), to whom I addressed, can buy them because he has a license for medical drugs (ethyl alcohol), he tells me to see what they are and we will order them, to tell you how much they cost and so on.

Priest

Okay, I’ll tell you.

57 years old

I want medicine (ethyl alcohol) for small animals (drinks), from a unit that is in Agios Dimitrios, if we can do it, it is every week, it is I will tell you now, it is 50 codes of 1,000 pieces each code.

Priest

Okay we will.

57 years old

Medicines for small animals.

A total of 20 people were arrested by the Police which imported and produced chemical products for the adulteration of fuel, while at the same time they illegally imported ethyl alcohol for the adulteration of beverages.

For the case, 20 members of the organization were arrested, including the alleged leader, while 10 more members have been identified and are being sought.

They used basic space for their activities truck parking area in Aspropyrgos, where both the quantities of ethyl alcohol and the quantities of chemical solvents and adulterated fuels ended up.

A case file was filed against them for – as the case may be – criminal organization, smuggling of liquid fuel and ethyl alcohol, money laundering, acceptance and distribution of proceeds of crime, as well as violation of arms laws, competition laws and product market regulation rules.

In particular, according to the Police, from the investigation and after appropriate utilization of information, the formation of a structured and continuously active criminal organization emerged, whose members was active in the systematic importation of chemical products from Bulgaria, with the aim of adulterating fuel and ethyl alcohol, without paying taxes and duties.

Alongside, exploiting the legal operation of a disinfectant company, they also operated an illegal factory for the manufacture of chemical solvents suitable for fuel adulteration.

For this purpose, the alleged leader of the criminal organization had set up three independent sub-groups, with appropriate infrastructure and technical equipment. Of these, two were involved in channeling chemical solvents to gas stations, either by importing them from Bulgaria or by operating their illegal production plant, while the third was in the smuggling of ethyl alcohol to distilleries, through which it was then channeled to the domestic market for consumption.

Subgroup members had specific roles, such as:

• the search for chemical solvents, storage areas and trucks,
• the coordination with the members of the criminal organization of Bulgaria, on the time and manner of introduction of the chemical solvents, as well as the subsequent transport and storage,
• finding and ordering raw materials for the production of chemical solvents,
• the supervision of the process of production and transport of the solvents and
• the supply and distribution of illegally imported ethyl alcohol in businesses trading alcoholic beverages.

It was being used two storage areas in Western Attica, where the chemical solvents from Bulgaria first arrived and then ended up in the above parking area, where the adulteration of the fuel of unknown origin took place.

At the same time, in a third area, independent of the two previous ones, there was the headquarters of a company, which, due to its activity, procured all the necessary chemical materials for the production of illegal chemical solvents, which immediately afterwards ended up in the same parking area, to be channeled with liquid fuel tankers at gas stations.

Regarding her supply and distribution of ethyl alcoholexploited the network maintained by the alleged ringleader for fuel smuggling and the quantities were stored at the same facilities, from where they were picked up by a member of the third sub-group, either in his own vehicle or in vehicles from a rental company, to be subsequently delivered to customers distilleries and businesses trading alcoholic beverages.

In order to deconstruct the criminal organization, thelast Tuesday night (5/3), a targeted police operation, after the members of the organization had produced thirty tons of chemical solventstransporting them by truck to the parking lot in Aspropyrgos and transferring the chemical solvents to a tank truck, which then went to a gas station in Athens.

During the business searches were carried out at 6 gas stations, 1 truck parking area, 7 houses, 2 warehouses, 1 disinfectant production and industrial chemical wholesale company, 1 beverage wholesale company and 2 distilleries.

From these investigations, the following were found and seized:

• 85,265 liters of chemical solvents,

• 12,101 liters of unleaded petrol without legal documents,

• 5,762 liters of ethyl alcohol,

• 746 liters of other alcoholic liquids,

• 12 I.X.E., of which 6 were employed, while 3 will be sent for laboratory examination to the Directorate of Criminal Investigations,

• 4 I.X. trucks,

• 2 tank trucks,

• 4 hunting rifles,

• 8 mobile phones and

• the sum of 78,955 euros.

According to ELAS, the quantities of illegal chemical solvents trafficked by the first subgroup amount to 111 tons and from the second to 150 tonswhile the duties and other charges that the State was deprived of, both from the seized and trafficked quantities of chemical solvents, contraband fuels, ethyl alcohol and other alcoholic beverages exceed 1,200,000 euros.

The arrested, with the case filed against them, they were taken to the competent Prosecutor and referred to an investigator.

It is reminded that citizens can contact, anonymously or by name, the telephone number 11012 or the website of the Greek State (gov.gr) “Complaint for financial crimes”, to provide information or to report illegal and fraudulent actions or activities against the sector of the economy, public property, as well as social and insurance welfare and rights.