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The police estimate that several million euros, which can not be determined at the moment, represent a loss of income for the Greek state due to the smuggling of gold from the two major circuits dismantled by ELAS. It should be noted that the only value of the seized persons is approximately 2 million euros. For this extraordinary case, a total of 63 people were arrested, while the 51-year-old owner of Richard Rushard Pawn Chain played a leading role with a Turkish partner.
As noted Brigadier George Canellos, director of the Attica Security Directorate, the two major criminal organizations have been activating for at least two years in illicit trafficking in gold. , mainly in the form of scrap, by multiplying criminal offenses related to non-payment of legal taxes and other legitimate acts. the costs of buying, selling, receiving, marketing, possessing, storing and exporting illegally to Turkey.
The quantities of gold came from the merger of unknown origin of jewelery and other valuables, held by means of purchases and pledges, and it would appear that some of them were proceeds of crime.
According to him, after dozens of investigations conducted in houses, shops and people, large amounts of gold, silver, jewelery, precious stones, silver and silver. firearms were seized.
The case was handled by the Maroussi Security Department in cooperation with the Northeast Attica Security Division, while the investigations were supported by the Attica Security Directorate, as well as that by the division of the General Police of Attica, the Department of Combating Organized Crime and Human Trafficking at the Security Directorate of Thessaloniki, The Security Division of Volos, the Department of Police Alexandroupolis and the Special Unit for Combating Terrorism and the Fight against Terrorism (EKAM).
On Tuesday morning, simultaneous police operations took place in Athens, Thessaloniki, Alexandroupolis and Volos, which resulted in the arrest of sixty-three members of the two circuits, including fifty-five Greeks and eight foreigners. More than 22 people were identified and searched for in the file.
To their detriment, a bodily record was created for criminal offenses, if any, breaches of the National Customs Code – criminal trafficking, acceptance and disposition of the proceeds of crime, prevention and suppression of money laundering. criminal activities and the financing of terrorism, usury, falsification, the law of arms and addictive substances.
"For the complete deconstruction and calibration of all the illegal activities of members of both groups, numerous police investigations were carried out all over the Greek territory.All techniques prior to criticism (police research, physical and technical surveillance, monitoring and surveillance, etc.) and the ranking and correlation of preliminary material showed that its members had been trained and had joined them for at least two years, having a sustainable structure and action .
The preliminary survey revealed the methodology of action of individual members and both groups, as well as their hierarchical structure. More specifically, it appears from the progress and evolution of the investigations that two distinct criminal organizations, whose head office is located in the center of Athens and whose network extends throughout the Greek territory, are involved in offense of smuggling gold, mainly in the form of scrap, via committing more criminal offenses to prevent the payment of legitimate taxes and other legitimate legal burdens during the purchase, sale, sale or sale the receipt, delivery, trade, possession, storage and illegal export to Kia.
The quantities of gold came from the merger of the unknown origin of jewelry, books and other valuables in their possession through purchases or pledges, and there were evidence that some of them were the proceeds of the crime, "said spokesman Theodoros Chronopoulos, deputy police chief of ELAS.
How they acted
According to the police spokesperson, both groups operated with a corporate structure, that is, a clear division of roles for their members, endowed with numerous technical and economic means to maximize economic benefits.
They even carried out illegal transactions without the risk of random checks, as they were generally "legal" because they operated under the guise of legitimate companies that moved daily, with large sums exceeding € 400,000.
The main feature of the organizations was that, thanks to the abundance of their financial means, especially the main members, they financed their members daily, with the aim of buying almost all the gold that the citizens Promoted or sold in related stores with minimal money and gold purchase from any source of irrelevant origin.
The criminal activity was aimed at the smuggling of gold and, in particular, continued and uninterrupted illegal export to Turkey, mainly through tourist buses operating on the Athens-Athens line. Istanbul and vice versa.
A typical case of gold transfer is the arrest of a member of the criminal organization working on a tourist bus in possession of which 12 000 EUR were seized and seized, as well as 17 gold bullion, weighing 24.6 kg, estimated at around 600 000 EUR and a large piece of gold.
In addition, the two criminal organizations worked, with a cover of legitimate businesses, with a similar purpose of illegal activity, thus ensuring coverage and avoidance of the consequences of the law.
The profits from their criminal activities have been legalized through the acquisition of real estate such as the purchase of luxury homes, land, vehicles and boats, business expansion, and so on. through specific processes covering the three stages of legalization required by law, namely laying, layering and embedding. . In addition, a legitimation is also the fact that they lived a luxurious life.
The codes
In their inter-phone communications, members of criminal organizations used coded words and phrases to describe the objects on which they were active, such as:
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Sugar: Gold
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Yellow: Gold
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Well : 24 carat gold
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A bit heavy: A kilo of gold.
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Round: Gold books from England.
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Girls: Gold books from England.
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Metal / Iron: Torn gold in the form of scrap
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travelers: Package containing gold and silver.
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lines: Thousands of Euros.
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Papers: Money
The first criminal organization had 130 branches – a gold market, with a daily business turnover of both organizations of about 400,000 euros.
The aforementioned criminal organizations acted independently of each other with respect to their constitution and management of their funds, but the actions of each organization were known to the other. In fact, the main members of the organizations had agreed on the purchase price of gold, in order to eliminate competition between them and increase their profits.
The interconnection of the governing bodies concerned "agreement-by-agreement" agreements, which allowed criminal organizations to function simultaneously and simultaneously, without the action of each influencing the other, but according to the subject of the action, there were collaborations.
Investigations carried out in the homes and shops used by the parties involved were discovered and confiscated:
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gold plates weighing 30.4 kg worth 545,000 euros,
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plates and pure gold, weighing 6.2 kilos, worth 235,600 euros,
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513 pounds of silver, worth 220,590 euros,
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1121 pounds of gold, worth € 330,695,
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360 pieces of gold,
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18 precious stones,
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ring with gemstone worth 56 900 euros,
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2 images of apparent age,
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the amount of EUR 850 000,
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checks worth 60 500 euros,
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5 firearms, 15 shotguns, 2 airguns, 212 rounds of ammunition and
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little cannabis.
According to the aforementioned activities of members of criminal organizations, the shortfall for the Greek government would amount to several million euros. This amount will be determined accurately as part of the judicial inquiry into the case.
Those arrested, along with the case against them, were taken to the Athens Office of the Defamation Prosecutor.
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