Police officers estimate that the dismantling of a total of 14 criminal organizations – gangs that operated from July 2020 to May of this year will have tangible results in the main crime indicators of Thessaloniki, such as robberies, burglaries and thefts, a period during which committed 553 criminal acts and with their total “booty” exceeding 2.76 million euros.

After a gigantic and simultaneous operation – the “biggest”, as it was said during the presence of the case, in the annals of the General Police Directorate of Thessaloniki with the participation of more than 300 police officers of various services – a total of 37 people accused of being members of the above were arrested in the last 24 hours circuits.

The arrests were made in Thessaloniki, Imathia, Attiki, Halkidiki and on the island of Santorini, where one of the accused was vacationing. Arrest warrants were previously issued by the 5th regular investigator of Thessaloniki, which is handling the case. The 20,000 pages of the case file include a total of 132 people (several related to each other), of which 21 are already in prison for other crimes.

How did they act?

Robberies, burglaries – theft of homes, businesses and vehicles, were the main area of ​​criminal activity of most organizations, some of which arose when some of their members fell out with other members of previous gangs in which they were involved. As mentioned during the presence, the perpetrators operated methodically, choosing the “targets” when the tenants or shopkeepers were away (the former usually during the day and on weekdays, the latter on Sundays when their businesses were closed). It is typical that they checked the names on the intercoms and acted when they found that the tenants were absent for recreation on days of their name holidays. The case file also includes burglaries of cars parked outside reception centers (weddings and christenings).

95% of the acts attributed to them were carried out in Thessaloniki and the rest in Attica and Serres. The voluminous case file includes a number of other criminal acts, such as forgery, extortion, usury, money laundering, drug trafficking, supplying cell phones to prison inmates, etc.

The “golden” burglary of 1.1 million euros

The most spectacular “hits” seem to have been committed by the first criminal organization which, according to the months-long investigations by the police officers of the Property Crimes Department of the Thessaloniki Security Directorate, had the longest activity and the greatest financial benefit. Her “palmare” includes two robberies, ten house burglaries – usually in the houses of people of high economic and economic surface from where they neutralized the security systems – and six vehicle thefts, with her total booty approaching 1.5 million euros. Of these, 1.1 million euros came from a theft in a house in eastern Thessaloniki, in September 2020.

They threw the cars into the Kalochori lagoon or burned them

The members of this organization used stolen cars with fake license plates and used to dump the vehicles in the Kalochori lagoon to eliminate possible incriminating evidence. A similar tactic regarding “business” vehicles was chosen, as the case may be, by the members of 11 of the other gangs who either “dunk” them in the same place, or burned them.

In contrast to the first criminal organization, the members of these gangs operated in “small and flexible groups”, as stated by EL.AS officials. However, their activity was not insignificant, which, according to the case file, includes seven robberies, 152 burglaries of houses and shops, 315 thefts – burglaries of vehicles.

False medical reports before the courts

Usury and extortion with a total benefit of 20,000 euros were the field of action of the 13th gang, while the last gang that was announced to have been dismantled specialized in the preparation and distribution of forged documents. It is characteristic that its members cooperated with members of other organizations by supplying them with fake medical reports in which they would falsely confirm that on a certain date or time they suffered from an illness or were treated in a hospital in order to present them to the judicial authorities as a defense element.

The “banker”, “investments” and women – accomplices

According to information, it appears from the investigations of the police authorities that some of the criminal organizations had a person of their absolute trust who acted as a “banker”. This particular person – who passed away two years ago – was used by most criminal organizations to keep the stolen goods or sell them for a fee. And in order to give legitimacy to the illegal income, they “invested” in the establishment of businesses and shops, renovated houses, bought cars and residences, while a part of them was used to redeem sentences.

Women-associates who were usually the wives and daughters of the accused members seem to have made an important contribution to their activity. From the police investigations, it emerged, according to information, that they operated as “chiliadors”, rented cars and monitored the frequencies of EL.AS.

The “girls” and the “reds”

Members of criminal organizations often used coded expressions in their telephone conversations. Information states that when they discussed breaking into a house they said “let’s go for a walk”, while the “target” houses were called “girls” and the stolen jewelry “red”.

Those arrested were earlier taken in groups to the 5th regular investigator of Thessaloniki from where they were given deadlines to apologize, starting from Thursday