Greek police have arrested eight Turkish nationals and detained eight more in a large operation in the capital of Athens and the northern city of Thessaloniki, reportedly connected to illegal activities, including homicides and drug and human trafficking.
During the crackdown, law enforcement agents of the Directorate for Combating Organized Crime (DAOE) in Thessaloniki and Attica also confiscated 49 weapons and drugs.
The police sweep is linked to the recent bloody mob-style incident in the district of Ano Glyfada in south Athens when two Turkish nationals of Kurdish origin gunned down two individuals (also Turkish nationals) in broad daylight. Police believe the motives of the two homicides were associated with gang-related differences.
At least 10 Turks have been killed in Greece since September 2023, in what police believe is a deadly power struggle among rival factions of the Turkish mafia.
Greek police recovered 25 bullet casings at the crime scene in Ano Glyfada, with initial reports suggesting that the assailants were part of a seven-member group, two of whom have been arrested. The Turkish mafia is primarily involved in drug trafficking, arms smuggling, and illegal migrant operations.
The Greek National Intelligence Service (EYP) thinks that the Turkish mafia operating in Greece and other European countries consists of five criminal groups, with one of them believed to have political affiliations but minimal presence and activity in Greece. The other four, however, have established significant footholds in the country, with members engaging in illegal activities, including drug and arms trafficking as well as smuggling migrants.
Notably, among these groups are the infamous “Daltons” and “Hawks,” as reported by Greek state broadcaster ERT.
The names of the two individuals arrested in the Glyfada incident were included in a classified EYP report on Turkish organized crime, which had been shared with the Hellenic Police. The report detailed the activities of Turkish mafia networks operating in Greece.
