A criminal organization involved in vehicle thefts in various areas of Attica has been dismantled.

Specifically, following a coordinated operation by police officers from the Spata Crime Investigation and Prosecution Department – Artemidos, on Monday morning, the 13 members of the group, aged 22 to 38, were located in areas of Attica.

Charges were filed against them for forming and participating in a criminal organization that committed aggravated vehicle thefts in concert, repeatedly, and professionally, forgery, fraud, and money laundering.

How the gang operated
As revealed by the police investigation, since March 2023, the members of the organization had formed and joined a criminal organization with the aim of theft of vehicles from areas of Attica and subsequently altering the registration details of the stolen vehicles, with the aim of later selling them to unsuspecting citizens.

Specifically, the members of the criminal group stole vehicles from areas of Attica and then removed the original parts bearing the vehicle’s chassis number, while simultaneously falsifying the chassis numberto make them available for sale.

In this way, the defendants “legalized” the vehicles in question, making them ready for sale.

At the same time, it was found that members of the criminal organization were filing false reports of vehicle thefts in order to collect insurance compensation, thereby obtaining illegal financial gain.

During the months-long police investigation, a total of 36 vehicles were found and seized, -19- of which, following a specialized technical inspection, were found to be stolen with forged registration details and were returned to their rightful owners.

During the police operation, the following items were found in the homes of those arrested and seized:

6 vehicles
car key duplication equipment
vehicle diagnostic devices
specialized lock-picking tools
GPS tracking systems
numerous cell phones and computers
2 replica pistols
a folding knife
a folding baton
the sum of 30,000 euros
During the preliminary investigation by officers of the Spata Crime Investigation and Prosecution Division – Artemidos, 33 cases of vehicle theft and 9 cases of false theft reports were solved.

The total financial gain of the criminal organization is estimated to amount to 1,000,000 euros.

The arrested individuals were brought before the competent prosecuting authority, while investigations to fully ascertain the extent of their criminal activities are ongoing.