New facts about officials and municipal policemen involved in racketeering in Athens

The tangled “ball” of the case began to unravel after a complaint was filed with the authorities on 12/4/24

New evidence continues to emerge of extortion, which has been found to involve members of the municipal police and employees of the Athens municipality.

In total for this case 14 people were arrestedwhich allegedly demanded compensation from store owners to avoid controls or fines for violations. The arrested persons were found to have more than 400,000 euros at their disposal, and the amount of revenue from illegal activities is estimated at more than 700,000 euros per year. The case materials also include 9 more employees who were not members of the organization, but helped its work.

Photographic documentation of the activities of a criminal organization

As part of the investigation, photographs of documents from meetings of members of the criminal organization have been released. One of them shows a paper bag that authorities believe contains a sum of money. Another photograph shows a transaction.

In the following photograph, the alleged leader of the organization is seen standing alongside a municipal police officer who police believe played a key role. Next to them lies a bag, which presumably contains the criminal's money.

The next photo again shows the alleged member of the organization's leadership with the brother of an employee who is also said to have a leadership role in the organization and who is reportedly said to be its collector.

The following photograph shows a potential employee in a leadership role in the organization with his brother. The employee in this photo is holding an envelope.

The Complaint That “Burned” a Gang of Extortionists

The “tangle” of this case began to unravel after a complaint was filed with the authorities on 12/04. In it, a businessman from the center of the capital reported: “I am a businessman in the center of Athens, I am in the restaurant business and I want to tell you something because the situation has reached an extreme. For some time now, municipal police officers have been making life difficult for friends of my colleagues and blackmailing them in order to make a living.”

According to him, “Two men, members of the municipal police, go from shop to shop and file complaints against shop owners to earn money. Nand I already have two applications. Then a lady comes in and introduces herself (the woman's name is not given) and says that she can act as a mediator to avoid a third lawsuit, but, of course, not without compensation. If after a few days someone doesn't give her money, then, as if by magic, the municipal officials come back and file a third lawsuit.”

Dialogues and messages from extortionists to store owners

Typical of racketeering ring activity are dialogues and messages such as the following message from an angry store owner who, despite paying the ring, was still being raided and had just been informed that all of his tables were to be cleared.

“I think that paying 12,000, and last year 16,000 euros and undergoing such treatment is not the best thing to do. So what is the protection? So that they would close us for two days, and we would put a seal, that would be all the protection, and give this money.” In another dialogue, an employee calls a salesman to ask him for money, which he must give to racketeers:

Racketeer: Did you leave them for me?
Shop owner: Who are we talking about now? Remind me.
Racketeer: Uh, 1000, uh, uh on xxxxx on the 22nd of the month we have.
Shop owner: 22 or 25, did we say?
Racketeer: 22.
Shop owner: 25 we said for, municipal, right?
Racketeer: 22 we said give me the first. Wait, let me give you the dates, because I filled them in, I'm not mistaken. I wrote them the way you told me. Well, 22, 22 is today, and 29 is everything else. 22nd of the month 1,000, 29th of the month 1,250 euros. And after Easter.
Shop owner: Is this 1000 for health support? Oh, no, no, we split it into two parts.
Racketeer: no no.
Shop owner: Yeah, okay, okay, okay, 1,000 today and 1,200 at the end of the month.
Racketeer: Okay, Monday the 29th.
Shop owner: Good good. Okay, I give you permission to take it.
Racketeer: Ok then leave them with me and send me a message that you left them so I can send xxx.

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