Kathimerini Greece Newsroom
A confidential report authored by Greek security authorities charting the activity of the Turkish mafia in Greece has issued a stern warning about the risk of its being used as a tool by secret services. The multi-page report coincides with the recent arrest of armed Turkish mobsters in Greece on two separate occasions within the space of three days.
The authors of the report characterize the potential recruitment of criminal law offenders by espionage networks as an “escalating threat.” Among other things, the report notes that Greece risks becoming a sphere for settling scores between rival groups of organized crime in Turkey, as happened in the case of the six-person murder in September 2023 in Loutsa. However, it also stressed that Turkish criminal groups can be leveraged by “politically motivated actors and intelligence services to carry out covert operations, such as conducting hybrid operations.”
Organized crime has historically served as a lucrative target for secret services worldwide.
“This is an escalating threat,” says the report, stressing that Turkish criminal networks operating in the country can be “effectively instrumentalized by foreign state actors.”
From the analysis of incidents in Greece involving the Turkish mafia since September 2023, common characteristics emerge regarding the methodology employed. For example, when entering Greece illegally, they claim to be members of the Kurdish PKK or supporters of the Gulen network, in order to apply for asylum.
In some cases they state that they are facing trumped-up persecutions in Turkey. They lead a luxurious life using expensive vehicles, post their photos and videos on social networks, while for their accommodation they use properties rented through Airbnb – mainly in the center of Athens and East Attica – using fellow Turks residing in Greece, who have not concerned the prosecuting authorities, to complete the agreements.
“They are looking for synergies with Turks living in Greece or other countries of the European Union or the Western Balkans,” the secret report said. As well as the fact that the presence of Turkish criminals in the country of Kurdish origin entails the risk of developing connections and contacts with people from the anarchist-anti-authoritarian space, who usually participate in solidarity initiatives for persecuted Kurds.
