Thief in law and members of a transnational criminal organization arrested in Attica

ΕΛΑΣduring a special operation in the center of Athens, detained a thief in law, the leader of a criminal organization, and seven of its members.

They are charged with robbery, extortion, and usury. Members of the organization committed burglaries of houses and warehouses in the capital and provinces, and at the same time “did not disdain” to engage in usury and extortion. Thirteen foreigners were also detained as part of the police operation, seven of whom will be deported.

The criminal organization has been operating since October 2022. It was structured within the framework of transnational criminal groups and organizations of Eurasian organized crime (in international terminology “THIF IN LAW”)*. This is the “elite” of the criminal world. People with this title act as leaders, command respect from all members of gangs and criminal organizations, operate in every country and follow certain rules of conduct.

They obey the “laws” of the criminal community and base their activities and contacts on them. The main characteristic of the organization is loyalty and devotion to the “team”, which is ensured by the fact that its members have a common national base. A prominent place in the hierarchy is occupied by the unconditional leader and coordinator of the group, the “crowned” thief. All members of the group obey him, giving him a full account of their activities and constantly demonstrating their loyalty.

The position of such leader was held by the person detained by the police during the operation. He had information about the activities of the group both at the level of criminal activity and at the level of the subsequent process of sending the stolen goods to the market.

The members of the group had such a level of respect and fear for him that they were overcome with genuine anxiety that their actions might displease him. The leader’s actions were not limited to thefts and robberies; they also extended to blackmailing third parties and providing protection to members of the group.

Another detainee had previously been placed in pre-trial detention centers, but continued to act, providing members of the group with operational information about the targets they would choose. He was involved in at least eighteen burglaries, and while in prison he instructed a member of the organization (also arrested in the operation) how to smuggle drugs into the detention center undetected.

The rest of the detainees were the operational division of a criminal group, essentially being street criminals who acted daily to achieve their goal.

A little about usury. An important role in the work of the organization was played by a network of moneylenders, which was actively involved in obtaining illegal benefits. This role was taken on by the seventh arrested person, who opened a usurious “office” and also accepted stolen goods. In this way, the organization increased its profits by circulating large and small amounts of money, managing the gradual influx of illegal income into the legal economy (“laundering”).

When committing thefts, the organization used a certain method of action, tells CNN Greece:

1. First, they went to the selected area in their “work” cars, where they surveyed the target houses and tracked the movements of residents;
2. Having parked the vehicles in nearby places and checking that there were no residents in the apartments, they began to invade;
3. all participants were in constant communication and talked in encrypted form about the area planned for action and about apartments;
4. at least one member was in contact with external management.

Members of the group purchased four “working” cars, registered to other people, so as not to arouse suspicion. An indicator of the cruelty of the criminals and involvement in parallel criminal activities was the fact that in October 2022, the leader with another member of the organization exerted strong psychological pressure on the then member of the group, as a result of which he committed suicide using a submachine gun.

Members of the organization often resorted to blackmail – in order to subjugate third parties, involve them in the group, or “knock out” debts. In some cases, they even resorted to kidnapping. During searches carried out in the houses of the detainees, the following were discovered and seized:

• 2451 euros,
• four cars,
• pistol, revolver and rocket launcher,
• pepper spray,
• 67.9 grams of narcotic substance,
• a certain amount of ammunition,
• alcoholic drinks,
• laptops,
• many cameras, SIM cards and phones,
• shoes, clothes, bags,
• locks and burglary tools,
• swords and knives,
• paintings,
• box with an engraved star “Thief in Law”,
• many hours,
• set of dishes,
• banknotes of different countries,
• money transfer receipts.

During the preliminary investigation, the involvement of members of a criminal organization in the business was revealed, so an additional investigation was carried out with the assistance of inspectors Σ.Δ.Ο.Ε. in stores, where a large amount of jewelry and 1,336 liters of olive oil were discovered and confiscated.

The “office” of the organization was located in an apartment building, in which apartment-rooms were found that served as a “common” guest house for foreign citizens, as well as a “studio”. Ten foreign women were identified there.

During the investigation, 35 burglaries of houses and warehouses, one case of robbery and two cases of extortion were revealed, the illegal benefits received exceeded 200,000 euros. Those arrested were brought to the prosecutor, and the investigation continues to establish the full scale of their criminal activities and the origin of the confiscated items, which are apparently stolen.

*The institution of “thieves in law” was formed at the beginning of the 20th century. and continues to exist to this day as the main management team criminal hierarchy. Thieves in Law is a criminal syndicate that is involved in illegal activities around the world.

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