By Ioanna Mandrou

Serious criminal charges for a host of felonies covering half of the criminal code were brought against the members of the organized crime and extortion ring that was dismantled by the Hellenic Police.

The 14 arrested face charges of criminal activity, extortion, explosions, arson, dangerous bodily harm, beatings, possession of explosives and many others.

In particular, the criminal prosecution for the 14 – as the case may be – is

  • Address of a criminal organization
  • Formation and membership of a criminal organization
  • Facilitation of a criminal organization
  • Blackmail
  • Direct cooperation in blackmail
  • Explosion from which danger to man may arise
  • Ethical creativity in explosion
  • Immediate synergy in an explosion
  • Arson from which a danger to humans may arise
  • Moral authorship in arson
  • Distinct wear
  • Ethical authorship in distinguished wear
  • Distinguished gun ownership
  • Construction of explosive devices
  • Ethical authorship in the manufacture of explosive devices
  • Possession of explosives
  • Dangerous bodily harm
  • Moral agency in dangerous bodily harm
  • Felony theft
  • Misdemeanor theft
  • Acceptance of proceeds of crime
  • Forgery
  • Moral authorship in forgery
  • Illegal carrying of firearms
  • Illegal possession of firecrackers
  • Illegal possession of flares
  • Supply and possession of narcotic substances for own use, etc.

The accused were referred to apologize to an investigator.

Among the 14 arrested are four defendants, who were arrested on Saturday night during the fight between fans near the “Apostolos Nikolaidis” stadium on Alexandras Avenue and have already been referred to apologize to an investigator on Wednesday morning.

In addition, according to the authorities’ investigation, at least 15 other persons are involved in the case file, who allegedly had a peripheral role in the extortions and will be summoned to an apology by the investigator.

At the same time, 3 of the 14 arrested are also facing charges of drug trafficking. The case file for this offense has been separated and those arrested will also report to a special narcotics investigator.

According to information, the defendants had set up a criminal organization which operated from September 2023 until their arrest. Nightclubs and other businesses mainly of health interest were infested almost all over the basin and they are said to have been involved in about 75 cases of extortion, explosions, beatings etc.