At least six people have been arrested on Monday morning during a major police operation on the island of Crete. According to an announcement by the Organized Crime Division, the arrestees are being accused of extortion, arson, property damages and fraud with the aim of collecting funds by the OPEKEPE, the scandal authority that distributed EU’s agricultural funds to not eligible persons, fake farmers and breeders.
Among those arrested are reportedly a 43-year-old man and his two nephews, aged 44 and 39, who have been also the leaders of the fraud ring operating mainly in Vorizia and Amari in the regional units of Heraklion and Rethymno respectively. It is recalled that the village Vorizia became the scene of a fatal shooting incident between two rival families in November 2025.
The three men are being accused of encroaching on fields in the area and then declaring them to OPEKEPE in order to receive subsidies. It is alleged that they received a total of 580,000 euros in subsidies for the encroached fields.
In the event that the owners of the fields refused to give in to the blackmail, they caused extensive damage to them. It is estimated that the damage they caused reached 200,000 euros.
According to local media, the three men were active from 2021 until 2025, Also their wives have been arrested, while the case file involves a total of 12 persons.
Another three people, relatives of the fraud leaders, have been arrested and accused of stealing livestock with the aim of making herds appear larger and declaring more animals in order to secure higher subsidies.
The activities of the family has spread fear among the locals with many of them to have complained to authorities.
The prosecutor has reportedly requested that the investigation be opened throughout Crete, in order to prove whether others were involved in the criminal organization’s activities.
The Greek Police is expected to release further updates on the case, the number of people arrested and their activities, as the operation is still ongoing.
