I've seen a thread regarding Greek organized crime in the US , so I thought I'd make one concerning it's European variant .

So how strong are Greek organized crime groups in Europe ? What is their structure/rank system like ? Are they major players or second stringers when it comes to their overall position in the European OC pecking order ?

Also is there any information available regarding their role in Greece's current political/economic situation ? In other words can it be said that Greek OC groups exert the influence on present day Greek society that ( for example ) Russian OC groups allegedly did in the 90s ?

Athens has the highest percentage of the Greek mafia. They seem to be strong in Greece and Albania, with Albania they are in partnership with both Albanians and Russian OC. They have a presence in the Netherlands but are considered second string. Canada (Toronto) they are powerful, but are overshadowed by the Calabrians and Sicilians.

The Greeks have been involved in the heroin trade since the early years of the last century, like the Eliopoulos brothers. As recent as 2014 Greek officials and the DEA uncovered two tons of heroin in two separate hauls.

they are second stringers, they had never been strong, i doubt they have any significant role in the current political/economic situation in greece

I just found a forum post dealing with Greek organized crime : http://andygreek1.forumchitchat.com/post/Organized-Crime-in-Greece-6467417 . It's not bad considering the lack of information available in English concerning this topic .

Greeks are master smugglers and shippers. This is their specialty. They prefer to stay in the dark so to speak and don't like attention. But they move tonnes of drugs all over the world.

Some of the largest arms dealers in the world are Greeks.

And oil "smuggling" is also a large money maker. For ex. while Iran has been under sanctions, Greek "businessmen" have been "sanction busting" and shipping Iranian oil all over the world. HUGE profits.

Like I said, smuggling and shipping (drugs, weapons, cigarettes, oil) are their speciality. With as little or no attention as possible. And always trying to portray themselves as "businessmen".

Here's profiles of two Greek crime bosses:

Greek crime boss Panagiotis Vlastos http://gangstersinc.ning.com/profiles/blogs/profile-greek-crime-boss-panagiotis-vlastos

Greek crime boss "The Greek Escobar" Angelopoulos http://gangstersinc.ning.com/profiles/blogs/profile-greek-crime-boss-alexandros-angelopoulos

Vlastos and Angelopoulos are bad dudes. But here are many more. Many much bigger that attract less attention. Above everything Greek OC (from Greece) tries to pass themselves off as legit "businessmen" and attract as little attention as possible.

We have ppl involved in fuel/oil smuggling that are literally billionaires now.

For ex:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dimitris_Melissanidis

http://research.omicsgroup.org/index.php/List_of_Greeks_by_net_worth

Started out smuggling fuel to Serbia during the war when there was an embargo.

Estimated net worth of 3.4 billion now. World's largest independent supplier of fuel. Contracts with the US navy to refuel their warships world wide.

And he STILL smuggles fuel (or so all the rumours say). VERY serious guy who doesn't joke around.

Greek OC doesn't worry about supplying drugs to neighbourhoods or having ppl on street corners. Of course there are ppl that do this, but they are small fish.

I never got why Greek OC was so underexposed. I live in Belgium in a former coal mining district - with fairly large populations of Italians, Turks, Moroccans and a smaller but substantial Greek population as well - and basically every Greek enclave I've ever been to has at least some shaky stuff going on. The criminal element over there doesn't make a lot of noise, but it's there. Drugs, protection, gambling...it's definitely there.
I always imagined, if it's like that in bumfuck Belgium, there must be stuff like that going on in other countries as well.

Is anything known about the structure/rank system of typical Greek OC groups ? Also are there any detailed articles or books regarding Greek organized crime in the English language ?

John Macris may have been killed by an Albanian contract killer as part of an escalating turf-war within the Greek mafia that has already resulted in six other murders in the capital since the start of the year.

https://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/wo...-gangster-in-athens-20181104-p50dur.html

Australian-Lebanese former biker boss Amad 'Jay' Malkoun was targeted in Athens car bomb attack.
Look at what is left of his car amazing he survived.

http://www.ekathimerini.com/238212/...lian-gang-member-targeted-in-bomb-attack

Greek Police See Mob Ties to Businessman’s Shooting

https://www.thenationalherald.com/266356/greek-police-see-mob-ties-to-businessmans-shooting/

“King of the Night” – Profile of Greek crime boss Vassilis Stefanakos http://gangstersinc.ning.com/profil...-of-greek-crime-boss-vassilis-stefanakos

Crime Reporter Gunned Down in Athens
By VOA News
April 9, 2021 12:14 PM
Greek police set up a security perimeter near the house of Giorgos Karaivaz, a veteran crime journalist, after he was shot dead in Athens, April 9, 2021.

A Greek journalist known for his crime reporting was shot dead outside his Athens home Friday, police said.

George Karaivaz, who worked for the privately owned broadcaster STAR TV, was known for his coverage of law and order and police stories.

Two unidentified people on a motorcycle fired multiple rounds at Karaivaz Friday afternoon near his home in Alimos, in the south of Athens, police said.

Witnesses said the journalist was shot as he got out of his car. The journalist was returning from the studio where he works on Star TV, according to the Media Freedom Rapid Response (MFRR), a group that documents attacks on the press across Europe.

Authorities are currently working to establish the motive behind the attack and whether it was related to Karaivaz’s journalistic work.

Early reports suggested the gunman used a silencer on his weapon, MFRR reported.

Karaivaz was a contributor to the Eleftheros Typos newspaper, and he founded the news website bloko.gr, which reported on crime.

Police were cited in local reports saying he had not reported any recent threats or asked for police protection.

The MFRR said it was “horrified” by the shooting, which “appears to bear all the signs of a targeted assassination.”

“Regardless of the motive, the killing of Giorgos (George) Karaivaz is a tragic event for the journalistic community in Greece and a dark day for media freedom in the European Union,” the MFRR said in a statement.

Police said Friday the killing was carefully planned. "It was a professional hit," a police official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to make statements to the media, told Reuters.

Media rights groups called on authorities to conduct thorough investigations to determine if journalism was a motive.

"Authorities must determine whether Karaivaz was targeted for his work, and should do everything possible to find the killers and bring them to justice," Carlos Martinez de la Serna, program director at the New York-based Committee to Protect Journalists, said in a statement.

The Paris-based Reporters Without Borders (RSF) also reacted to the killing Friday, saying "a new assassination of a journalist on European soil can have a considerable impact."

If the motive is confirmed as being related to Karaivaz’s journalism, it would be the first assassination of a journalist in the European Union since the 2018 murder of investigative reporter Jan Kuciak in Slovakia, the MFRR said.

Fatal attacks on journalists are rare in Greece. The New York-based Committee to Protect Journalists has recorded only one killing in the country. The investigative reporter Sokratis Giolias was shot dead near his apartment in Athens in July 2010. No one has been prosecuted for the killing, according to CPJ.

Some information in this report came from Reuters.

https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.voanews.com/press-freedom/crime-reporter-gunned-down-athens%3famp

I agree now with this high profile murder of the well known journalist that will change.
The written history of the Greek community in the Netherlands dates back to about 1760.

Curious who ordered this hit.
I read somewhere that the Mylopotamos guys are supposed to be strong in Athens as well.

Def, if they kill a prominent civilian like George the stakes are very high.

Recently, under pressure from the European Union, Greece and many other European countries, intensified their war on smuggling, making many arrests and deactivating organizations in cooperation with European law enforcement agencies. Gambling has always been a staple for Greeks. Horse racing, cards, casinos and black market deals. It is safe to assume that Greek organized crime is difficult to dismantle, as these groups are formed, disbanded and re-formed when it suits their interests. With Greece accounting for a large share of global merchant shipping, a significant amount of drugs is transported throughout Europe on an annual basis.

Authorities see a method that refers to Greek mafia in the brutal murder of the journalist, George Karaivaz, outside his house in Alimos. 

Greek police officers are talking about a death contract and are looking for both the principals and the hired executors. 

Meanwhile, the ballistic examination showed that the weapon used in the murder was "clean", which means that it is not related to any other criminal act committed in the past. 

However, a second investigation will be carried out to have absolute certainty and the report will be sent from the forensic laboratories to the Security.

It is recalled that from the crime scene the police collected 13 shell casings of nine millimeters, three fragments of projectiles and three deformed projectiles.

Macroscopically, the forensic autopsy revealed that the journalist suffered 10 injuries to the body and head, while today the autopsy is being performed at the University of Athens, from which it will be clarified exactly how many bullets he has received.

Witnesses

Police are already examining the three eyewitnesses who allegedly saw the perpetrators. 

According to their testimonies, the driver was wearing a helmet or hat, while the passenger who cold-bloodedly executed George Karaivaz was wearing the hood of a sweatshirt, a khaki jacket, and a coronavirus protection mask. 

The police authorities are considering the possibility that the hired executors who had come from abroad to bring you to execute the death contract, while most likely they were watching the journalist and knew his program.

They estimate that there were two groups: one that watched him and gave the signal and the other that executed him. 

Πηγή: https://www.skai.gr/news/greece/met...araivaz-ti-edeikse-i-vallistiki-eksetasi
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Greek Mafia boss Skaftouros gunned down in holiday home on Easter Monday

https://www.keeptalkinggreece.com/2...d-down-in-holiday-home-on-easter-monday/

Prominent ‘Greek mafia’ figure executed in cold blood
Yiannis Souliotis
14.01.2024 • 10:51
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.

Having previously faced accusations of leading an extortion group, the victim, identified as Vangelis Z., had narrowly survived a murder attempt in 2018.

Law enforcement considers his murder significant in the ongoing conflicts within the nightlife scene.

The assailants, traveling in an SUV, confronted him at the intersection of Frantzi and Ilias Iliou streets in Neos Kosmos on Sunday. They unleashed a barrage of gunfire through his car window, leaving him dead on the spot.

Subsequently, the attackers’ vehicle was discovered completely incinerated on Athens Avenue in Haidari, western Athens.

Authorities connect this incident to a thwarted plot against the 44-year-old in June, involving a van loaded with weapons.

Investigations into the incident are currently underway.

The attack took place a few minutes before 2 o’ cl0ck in the morning as the victim Vangelis Z., was getting into his armored car. He came under an unprecedented “storm” of fire and fell dead next to his car. The victim allegedly carried a gun, however, he had no time to use it.

According to daily efsyn.gr, police has collected 97 Kalashnikov casings from the crime scene and the victims vehicle.

Citing police sources, media reported that there were 3 to 4 attackers in a stolen car who used 2 to 3 different Kalashnikov weapons as well as a 9-mm pistol.

I believe 2021 Giorgos Karaivaz murder still is unsolved no arrests nothing. Something is rotten in the state of Greece.

Correction, they arrested two brothers last year.

Greece: First arrests made over 2021 murder of journalist Giorgos Karaivaz
Arrests mark first big step forward in fight to bring those responsible to justice

May 3, 2023

The International Press Institute (IPI) today joins its partners in the Media Freedom Rapid Response (MFRR) in welcoming the arrests announced last Friday of two suspects in connection with the 2021 assassination of crime reporter Giorgos Karaivaz in Greece. The two men, brothers aged 40 and 48, are in custody and awaiting a hearing today, May 3.

The exact alleged role of the suspects, both Greek nationals, in the murder has not yet been confirmed by prosecutors. News of the arrests was announced on social media by the Minister of Citizen Protection, rather than by law enforcement authorities. According to the Hellenic Police, two other suspects are still wanted in connection with the killing, but the motive remains unconfirmed.

Karaivaz, an experienced crime reporter, was gunned down by two men on a scooter outside his home in Athens on 9 April 2021. Following the killing, police said the “professional” style of the assassination indicated the involvement of organised crime. Last month, the case formally became an instance of impunity for murder, considering there had been no significant progress in investigating or prosecuting the crime for two years.

Last week’s arrests represent a big step forward and have revived hope that at least some of those responsible for the despicable murder could finally be held accountable. However, to secure full justice for Giorgos and his family, all those involved in the killing, from the gunman and getaway driver up to the middlemen and mastermind, must be prosecuted and put behind bars.

As our organisations mark World Press Freedom Day today, we continue to follow the case closely and do all we can to secure justice for Karaivaz and help strengthen media freedom and independent journalism in Greece, which remain in a poor condition.

Leaked Footage Shows a Greek Crime Boss Executed in a Hail of Bullets
Notorious mobster Vangelis Zambounis was killed by two assassins who peppered him with 96 rounds as he sat in his BMW outside a gas station in Athens.

https://www.vice.com/en/article/93k...nis-executed-athens-leaked-footage-shows

Greece Presses Criminal Charges for Mafia Murders

A prosecutor in Greece on Friday brought charges against two suspects for killing members of the Greek mafia; among a total of seven suspects involved, one is already in detention in Montenegro.

https://balkaninsight.com/2024/01/1...-criminal-charges-for-murder-executions/

greek-russians seem to be major players over there

You mean in Montenegro? Not really, Montenegro had one huge clan that controlled everything and imported huge amounts of cocaine, then it separated into 2 clans , Kavacki and Skaljarski and started huge war that spread over whole Balkans. Kavacki managed to get into alliance with most powerful clan from Serbia and that resulted in all of Skaljarski members getting killed, cut into pieces, they hunted them down from Greece to Brazil (a week ago member of Skljarski clan who escaped to Brazil got killed there). I could write whole thread about it, but this is super shot version.

no i mean in Greece

Oh, yes. But also its very strange situation in Greece. If you compare it to other countries that have huge access to sea(Italy, Montenegro, Spain, Netherlands and so on) , it has very "weak" organized crime when compared to others.

+1

I think both Serbian and Montenegrin OC always had influence in Greece, especially in the northern part. Right now, the Albanian clans are present too.

in Spain there are some strong organized crime group only in Galicia, but the amount of drugs coming through Spain is staggering

Albanian clans are spread all over Europe

Almost every major organized crime group has its own people in Spain involved in drug trafficking, i agree with you , Spain has to be on top when looking at quantities of drugs coming through, followed by Italy and Netherlands.

Dont forget they are slowly losing their support from the "West", especially the U.S. They helped them to reach their pick, and so US will be the one which will flush them down the toilet, mainly because I think the western government already found a new "customer" aka middle eastern "immigrants" and that retired German witch was their "frontman" for the whole operation, same as the Clintons back durind the 90s with their own private "state" known as Kosovo.

With Greece accounting for a large share of global merchant shipping, they do have major connections to other groups. Many Greek ships who transport merchandise.

Greek Mafia pushed on the ropes
Names of eight suspects publicized as police intensify search for four still at large
[InTime News]
Yiannis Souliotis
03.05.2024 • 08:37
Signaling their determination to step up efforts to catch four of the eight suspects implicated in the Greek Mafia investigation who are still evading arrest, the prosecution authorities disclosed the names of all eight on Thursday.

According to sources privy to the ongoing investigations, the move sends a message to the fugitives that the authorities are committed to the case and determined to fully dismantle the criminal organizations comprising the Greek Mafia.

What’s more, prosecuting authorities have reportedly received information regarding attempts to rebuild these mobster organizations.

Bearing this in mind, authorities want to make clear they are vigilant and that a return to criminal activity by opening a new cycle of blood and settling scores will be very difficult and that the police are “not playing around.”

With the release of the identities of the eight, the prosecuting authorities expect to gather even more information about the wanted persons, their contacts, possible accomplices etc.

Three of the eight suspects are from Georgia, two from Uzbekistan, one each from Russia and Albania, and one Greek national from Thessaloniki.

Police say the criminal organization is responsible for the turf war murders of Yannis Skaftouros in Viotia in April 2022, the murders of Vassilis Roubetis and Dionysis Mouzakitis in Korydallos in June 2023, and an attempted homicide a few weeks later in Pieria of a man from Uzbekistan. It is also responsible for arson at a gas station in Aspropyrgos and at a warehouse where tobacco manufacturing machinery was destroyed.

??????Skaftouros was one of the key executives of the Greek Mafia and, according to the Hellenic Police, he was the right hand of the Greek Mafia’s boss of bosses, Vasilis Stefanakos, who was murdered in 2018, as well as a close associate of Panagiotis Vlastos.

All eight appear to be involved in the murder of Roubetis and his son-in-law Mouzakitis. Roubetis, who was a “henchman” of Stefanakos and Skaftouros, had killed a 22-year-old Panathinaikos fan in 2007. He was convicted of first-degree murder, but was not sent to prison. The trial in the second degree had been determined at the Mixed Jury Court of Appeal of Nafplio in June 19, 2023.

Police were gathering information about the two murders and made arrests in January.

https://www.ekathimerini.com/news/1237924/greek-mafia-pushed-on-the-ropes/

The criminal organization is largely composed of Pontic Greeks. A lot of Pontic Greeks immigrated from Georgia, Ukraine, Russia and Uzbekistan and are now mostly based in Thessaloniki. Certain Pontic criminal organizations are highly involved in for instance the illegal tobacco trade (Pontic communities in Georgia settled very close to the tobacco farming heartlands) and one big time smuggling group from Thessaloniki has come into conflict with another well known organization from Athens that was traditionally highly involved in the illegal tobacco smuggling business as well.

The Greek diaspora, are the communities of Greeks living outside Greece. The Greek diaspora is one of the oldest and most widespread in the world.

Pontic Greeks are dangerous, i remember they often caused troubles in discos in Greece lol

“King of the Night” – Profile of Greek crime boss Vassilis Stefanakos https://gangstersinc.org/2020/02/20...of-greek-crime-boss-vassilis-stefanakos/
Profile: Greek crime boss Panagiotis Vlastos https://gangstersinc.org/2017/03/07/profile-greek-crime-boss-panagiotis-vlastos/
Profile: Greek crime boss “The Greek Escobar” Angelopoulos https://gangstersinc.org/2017/02/05/profile-greek-crime-boss-alexandros-angelopoulos/

The old links died and I can't edit my old post, so a repost.

https://greekreporter.com/2025/04/25/greek-mafia-boss-executed-athens/

Greek Mafia Boss Executed in Broad Daylight

https://www.tovima.com/society/aliv...er-latest-mafia-style-violence-incident/

‘Alive by a Miracle’: Public Doubts Grow Over Latest Mafia-Style Violence Incident

https://www.tovima.com/society/man-gunned-down-in-athens-was-well-known-greek-mafia-figure/

Man Gunned Down in Athens was Well-known Greek Mafia Figure

Jimmy Breslin,the writer, said Greeks are underrated thieves

There was once reportedly a Camorra presence in Turkey made up of guys from Sicily,Naples,and Greeks,I think Thessylonians

NEWS
Police follow blood trail to Dubai
Authorities believe crime boss ordered gangland shooting to tighten grip on Athens criminal circuits
Police follow blood trail to Dubai
Elvira Krithari
28.04.2025 • 07:50

Greek authorities are zeroing in on a Georgian-born crime boss allegedly linked to the assassination of Giorgos Moschouris, a powerful figure in Greece’s underworld, killed last Thursday in the suburb of Halandri.

Known by the aliases “Entik” and “Foni” (Voice), the 50-year-old fugitive reportedly heads a cigarette-smuggling ring of ethnic Russians from the former Soviet Union. Sources say he has extended his influence into the country’s night economy – and that he had placed a bounty on Moschouris, seeking his elimination amid a ruthless battle for supremacy in the Greek Mafia.

The killing of Moschouris, also known as “Thamnakias,” marks another violent reshuffling of the criminal landscape. Investigators believe that Entik, currently residing in Dubai under house arrest conditions, may have masterminded the hit. Greece has renewed efforts to seek his extradition, though no agreement has yet been reached.

Authorities are weighing two scenarios: Either Entik’s group directly ordered the killing, or rival circles around convicted mob boss Panagiotis Vlastos orchestrated it. Tensions between Moschouris and Vlastos had flared over control of the lucrative protection rackets following the assassination of rival gang leader Vangelis Zambounis.

The attack against Moschouris was brazen. Gunmen armed with Kalashnikov rifles ambushed him outside a medical center on Papagou Street. Witnesses reported a getaway involving a Nissan – later burned –and a second car hidden nearby.

This was not the first time an attempt had been made on Moschouris’ life – he had previously been wounded in 2020. Police files describe him as a key player in the network of “night enforcers,” involved in extortion, contract killings, and racketeering operations in Athens’ nightlife scene.

Entik’s organization, dubbed the “Cigarette Lords,” is believed to control large swaths of the tobacco smuggling trade and provide protection to bars and hotels. His name had surfaced in the past in connection to at least three high-profile gangland killings.

The Greek underworld has been racked by violence since 2017, with more than 24 murders tied to shifting alliances among crime syndicates. Authorities hope the latest investigation will bring them closer to dismantling one of the most resilient factions of organized crime in the country.

https://www.ekathimerini.com/news/1268036/police-follow-blood-trail-to-dubai/

UPDATED:

Profile: Greek crime boss Alexandros Angelopoulos https://gangstersinc.org/2017/02/05/profile-greek-crime-boss-alexandros-angelopoulos/

Profile: Greek crime boss Panagiotis Vlastos https://gangstersinc.org/2017/03/07/profile-greek-crime-boss-panagiotis-vlastos/

“King of the Night” – Profile of Greek crime boss Vassilis Stefanakos https://gangstersinc.org/2020/02/20...of-greek-crime-boss-vassilis-stefanakos/