Revealing details about the Cypriot FBI. Its mission: to target underworld leaders and money-laundering operations, following the model of the Greek FBI.
“The goal is clear: faster utilization of intelligence, the dismantling of entire criminal networks, and the severing of their financial power.”
Themistos Arnaoutis – Chief of Police
ΣΧΕΤΙΚΑ ΑΡΘΡΑ
“The message to those involved in organized crime is clear: we will use every means, and all available information to track down criminal networks and deprive them of the financial benefits that are the source of their power.”
Christos Andreou – Director of the Directorate for Combating Organized Crime
The official announcement regarding the operations of the Directorate for Combating Organized Crime comes several months after it began its operational activities, during which it has already achieved significant successes.
Under a single umbrella
The Directorate is structured into four key Sub-Directorates:
Intelligence and Special Operations
; Narcotics Enforcement;
Organized Crime Investigation;
Strategic Analysis, International and European Relations.
Intelligence gathering and assessment, technology, financial investigations, and international cooperation are now integrated into a common framework.
“What is required is the systematic dismantling of the entire criminal network, to map the relationships among its members, to identify its financing mechanisms, and to deprive it of the financial resources that enable its operations.”
Christos Andreou – Director of DAOE
The Cypriot FBI began operations without a key tool in its arsenal—the ability to monitor telecommunications—and is hoping that Parliament will soon give it the green light.
“Being able to monitor cell phones is a matter of legislation; we are waiting for the House of Representatives to pass the wiretapping law so that we can do our job. However, it is not the only tool we have, and I won’t go into further detail on that.”
Themistos Arnaoutis – Chief of Police
“We want to be one step ahead of crime, not one step behind.”
Christos Andreou – Director of the Anti-Organized Crime Directorate
The new super-directorate is also awaiting a new headquarters, as operational autonomy is an essential prerequisite for preventing internal leaks to the underworld. The move to the team’s headquarters on Iphigenia Street, where approximately 80 members of the newly established FBI will be housed, is not expected to take place soon due to bureaucratic delays.
Watch the report by Christoforos Nestoros:
