Neos Kosmos

The recent police operations in the wake of last week's mob-style killing in the Athens suburb of Neos Kosmos reveal that criminal networks thrive on specific sources of illegal wealth, including the smuggling of fuels and tobacco. 

The mafia prospers in areas where the state has consistently failed to establish control, despite the significant cost to the public treasury.

The execution of mobster Vangelis Zambounis in the Athens suburb of Neos Kosmos on January 14 was just the tip of the iceberg in a case that began unfolding about two years ago, involving ethnic Greeks from the former Soviet Union who appear to have embarked on a campaign of sorts to push out rival leaders of the so-called Greek Mafia. 

Police authorities announce the arrest of two men for hits on two prominent members of the Greek underworld on Thursday. An Athens prosecutor indicted two ethnic Greeks from countries of the former Soviet Union, aged 39 and 21. They were charged with nine felonies and seven misdemeanors. A third person, who is allegedly connected to one of the suspects, was only charged with misdemeanors.

Three suspects arrested in connection with the assassinations of two prominent members of the so-called Greek Mafia were led before a public prosecutor on Thursday.

The three were allegedly involved in the murder of Yiannis Skaftouros in May 2022 in Dervenochoria and Vassilis Roubetis in a late-night ambush in the Korydallos district of Athens, in June 2023.

In a targeted mafia-style attack during the early hours of Sunday, a 44-year-old man, purportedly a prominent figure in the nightlife scene, was ambushed and fatally shot outside a fuel station in the Athenian neighborhood of Neos Kosmos.

Two people were shot dead and two others were injured by unknown gunmen in the district of Neos Kosmos, in Athens, on Monday evening.

According to initial information, the victims and the perpetrators had arranged a meeting in a grove behind the church of Agios Sostis.

A group of around 20 individuals attacked the offices of Ethniki Insurance located on central Syngrou avenue in the Athenian district of Neos Kosmos on Friday afternoon, using sledgehammers to smash the glass entrance and windows.

The attacks happened at 3.10 p.m. and all the assailants had their faces covered with balaclavas and helmets.

The Melbourne-based Greek community newspaper Neos Kosmos celebrated its 60th anniversary with a special birthday edition published on December 7, illustrating its enduring appeal despite the challenges of the digital age.

Modern Greek will be one of 13 languages other than English to be taught to preschoolers in Australia this academic year through ELLA, an educational program aimed at acquainting young learners with different cultures and helping them develop essential cognitive skills such as memory recall, critical thinking, verbal and spatial awareness.

Greek director Vangelis Theodoropoulos was appointed as the new artistic director of the Hellenic Festival.