Authorities on the island of Crete have dismantled a large criminal mafia gang and arrested 48 people involved in drugs and weapons trafficking as well as extortion, money laundering and at least one bomb attack. Later on Monday, they arrested one more person raising the number of suspects to 49.
Among those arrested are one police officer, one officer from the Armed Forces and one from the Navy as well as unspecified number of clergymen and 16 people already serving a prison sentence for several charges.
The investigation into the gang’s activities lasted around 18 months and recently a police officer from Athens was placed within the organization to act an an informant.
Findings during the raids: picture released by Greek Police
The raids in the suspects’ homes and businesses focused in Chania and Rethymno and took place over the weekend.
Citing police sources, daily ethnos.gr, of particular interest is the case of a defendant who together with his brother appeared to be the leaders of the gang. One of the brothers, a hotel owner in Stavros, was accused in the past of bringing quantities of cocaine to Crete from Athens.
According to police sources, this man was one of the most powerful figures in the Greek mafia and when the “great purge” began at night, he feared for his life and fled Athens and went to Crete.
Everything indicates that he is a hotel owner and has a wide range of activities in Crete. He is reportedly heard in conversations promoting and dealing with Church issues as well as the promotion of a senior cleric to take an important position, possibly with a view to issues of ecclesiastical property, so Mega TV. It is possible that there are also clerics accused in this matter.
Skai TV reported that the two brothers had blackmailed the abbot of a local monastery with a video of some very private moments. Following the blackmail, the abbot issued a fake certificate for a land plot that the two sold to Israeli investors who wanted to build a luxury resort in the area. Selling price was reportedly 2 million euros.
During the searches carried out by the police in the homes of the defendants, the findings were extremely interesting as large quantities of drugs and weapons were found. Illegal weapons were also found in the home of the police officer, who served in Rethymnon, accused of participating in the criminal organization.
Next to drugs distribution in clubs, the two members of the Armed Forces were reportedly also stealing fuel from the warehouses of the Army and the Navy and pushed it to fuel smuggling rings in Crete.
So far, more than 1 million euros in cash have been found in the homes of those arrested. Part of the illegal “revenues” were “invested” in hotels, a cafeteria, beach bars, Airbnb and one gym in Kolymvari.
Because of the large number of defendants, the arrested suspects were taken to the public prosecutor of Chania in groups.
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The majority of arrested are Greeks, while there are also foreign nationals from Albania and Egypt.
Police stress that the investigation in the Mafia gang on Crete is ongoing, while additional arrests are highly possible.
