A criminal organization, whose members committed thefts and robberies in houses mainly in areas of Attica, was dismantled by the Directorate for the Prosecution of Crimes Against Life and Property of the Directorate for Countering Organized Crime.

In order to deconstruct the criminal organization, an organized police operation was organized and implemented on Tuesday, November 5, 2024, in the wider area of ​​Attica and also in Heraklion, Crete, in the presence of judicial officers, with the assistance of T.A.O.E. police officers. of Crete, of E.K.A.M. as well as Special Operational Groups of D.A.O.E..

During the operation, -10- members of the organization were identified and arrested, while another -3- members were identified, against whom a case file was filed for a case-by-case criminal organization, which committed thefts, robberies and frauds committed and attempted, by complicity, by ‘ continuation and by profession with a total benefit exceeding 120,000 euros, money laundering, violation of the Law on Weapons, the Law on Drugs and dishonesty.

Their turnover is 1,527,230 euros

As it emerged from the methodical investigation, the members of the criminal organization acted with a specific methodology, having distinct roles, with continuous action, which is placed in time from August 2023, while they managed to obtain in this way an illegal financial benefit of 1,527,230 euros .

In fact, the members of this structured group had friendly or kinship ties with each other, which gave them special cohesion and loyalty.

How did they act?

Regarding the mode of action (modus operandi), the members of the gang used a specific methodology, namely:

  • they acted in groups of three or more people and mainly in the morning or midday hours, after identifying their potential victims, they followed them until they returned to their homes and waited for them at the entrances of the apartment buildings,
  • they pretended to be technical employees (D.E.H., elevator maintainers, etc.) and convinced them to allow them to enter their homes, in order to verify alleged damage to the electrical installation, always wearing gloves and medical masks, making the work of the Authorities difficult and
  • finally, they led the elderly to the kitchen area, where they occupied them under various pretexts, while the other members of the organization entered the house, carefully searched the other areas and removed sums of money, jewelry and valuables.

Characteristic of their audacity was their persistence in achieving their goal, as they did not hesitate to use violence regardless of the advanced age of their victims, in case they resisted.

In addition, the investigation revealed that the members of the criminal organization at regular intervals moved from Attica to the province, either to escape detection and arrest during the operations carried out by the local authorities in areas of Western Attica, or to expand their action.

The members of the Organization acted on a case-by-case basis according to the roles assigned to them by the 32-year-old leader and the 34-year-old deputy leader, who were the vital members, as:

  • while the first one was charged with the role of the physical perpetrator, that is, he was essentially the one who chose and appeared to the potential victims, he did not hesitate to use violence, he coordinated the other “operational” members and facilitated their access to the area, so that their purpose could be achieved and
  • and the second, held the role of the observer – chiller, as he remained outside the houses and communicated by phone with the other “operational” members, informing them about the movements of the residents, while at the same time acting as the person who transported them with the ” business’ car to their target and remain inside it until the illegal activity is complete.

As part of a full investigation of the case, a large financial investigation was carried out by the Property Crimes Department, from which it emerged that the members of the criminal organization sought and committed money laundering of the proceeds obtained from all their criminal activities, in the form of acquiring, possession and use of property, while at the same time they received either welfare benefits or had unregulated debts – debts to the tax authorities amounting to several thousand euros.

What did the investigations find?

Dislocated coil that was stealing

From the searches carried out, in houses, vehicles and from their possession, in total, among other things, was found and confiscated:

  • -35,825- euros,
  • -11- vehicles,
  • -9- grams of cannabis,
  • a number of hunting and non-volatile cartridges,
  • stun gun and carbine,
  • clock crowd,
  • number of mobile phones and sim cards,
  • multitude of jewelry and gold and faux bijoux,
  • number of bank cards,
  • many vehicle keys,
  • a number of documents related, among other things, to real estate transactions,
  • -2- pairs of plates and
  • multitude of electronic devices.

From the investigation so far by the Sub-Directorate for the Prosecution of Crimes against Life and Property, -3-cases of thefts from houses by the method of burglary and -30- thefts either committed or attempted by the employment method, which have been committed in the wider area, have been solved of Attica.

The arrested, who have repeatedly engaged the Police Authorities for similar crimes, were taken to the competent prosecutor and referred to an Investigator.

Finally, the investigation continues in order to fully ascertain the scope of the criminal activity of the members of the Criminal Organization.