Organized crime

A car chase in central Athens on Tuesday morning led to the arrest of 12 migrants and their trafficker, Greek police said.

The suspect's vehicle, was deemed suspicious due to the excessive number of passengers and was chased by police, after the driver did not respond to police signals.

Police in the northern port city of Thessaloniki have arrested three men suspected of running a large-scale tobacco racket after seizing thousands of packets of contraband cigarettes.

A 34-year-old foreign national was arrested at Athens International Airport for trying to smuggle a total of 38.4 kilograms of raw cannabis into the country, authorities said on Monday.

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. 

The video of the latest murder of a prominent member of the Greek Mafia is more than shocking. 

It will be unthinkable if Greek society and the state get used to this routine which is often swept under the rug with the excuse that it is just gangs "settling their scores." 

The police investigation into Sunday's Mafia-style execution of 44-year-old Vangelis Zambounis, a prominent underworld figure, in the Neos Kosmos suburb of Athens is reportedly focusing on the release of a mobster from prison 10 days ago, the rumored reversal of his business relations in recent months and his possible involvement in the war between Russian-speaking smugglers.

Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya announced that 10 people wanted by six countries with Interpol red bulletins have been arrested in Istanbul in scope of the "CAGE-30" Operation.

Greek police arrested four people believed to be members of a criminal gang selling forged artworks, Byzantine images and small antiquities to buyers in the wider region of Attica and Europe. 

Police was notified by a person who fell victim to the fraud, having bought a fake painting for 50,000 euros.

The data for 2023 on the fight against smuggling at border gates and ports have been announced. The total value of smuggled tobacco, cigarettes, tobacco products and alcoholic beverages seized last year amounted to 1.2 billion Turkish Liras resulting in a tax loss of approximately 800 million liras.

Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya has announced the arrest of 80 smuggling organizers and the apprehension of 2,155 irregular migrants in a series of operations conducted across 27 provinces within the first four days of the new year.