In the presence of President of the Republic Konstantinos Tasoulas and Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, the Ministry of Citizen Protection and the Hellenic Police are celebrating today the second anniversary of the Directorate for Combating Organized Crime—or, as it is commonly known, the Greek FBI— which marked its second anniversary on October 21 and has been instrumental in uncovering and solving particularly major organized crime cases that had cost the Greek state hundreds of millions of euros.
The ceremony marking the DAOE’s two years of operation, according to the program, will take place at 6 p.m. at the Megaron Concert Hall, where evidence of the agency’s positive work to date will be presented.
ΣΧΕΤΙΚΑ ΑΡΘΡΑ
An agency which, as Minister of Citizen Protection Michalis Chrysochoidis noted in an article in Saturday’s edition of the newspaper Parapolitika, represented for him “a strategic goal and a long-standing vision,” which he implemented immediately upon his return to the ministry, in consultation with Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis.
The rationale, as he emphasizes, was that “organized crime poses a serious threat to democracy, the economy, and social cohesion; it undermines citizens’ trust in institutions, distorts healthy competition, and deprives society of valuable resources; combating it requires political will, strong institutions, specialized agencies, and daily, systematic work.”
“As the minister also noted in an interview yesterday,” the state “was disorganized, and when the state is disorganized, it cannot tackle organized crime.”
For this reason, an “unparalleled institutional framework” was created for the operation of the DAOE, comprising two judges and experienced officers who currently serve in that agency. It is headed by Lieutenant General Fotis Douitsis, an officer with extensive experience in prosecuting crime at all levels and recognized leadership skills in challenging positions.
According to the Minister of Citizen Protection, the experience of leading European and international police organizations was drawn upon to establish the institutional framework and organizational structure of the DAOE.
260 criminal organizations and groups were dismantled
The Directorate for Combating Organized Crime, headquartered in Athens with a branch office in Thessaloniki and, more recently, in Crete, began operations on October 21, 2024, It is composed of specialized units, staffed by the cream of the crop of police officers—primarily from the Security Division—and is equipped with specialized personnel, modern operational tools, and the ability to infiltrate complex criminal networks.
As Mr. Chrysochoidis emphasizes in this effort, the officers and all DAOE personnel have the full support of the government in their work. “The fight against organized crime is a fight for a more just Greece,” the minister notes.
As for the results of the DAOE’s operations to date—which have been and continue to be the subject of intense debate recently, following the resolution of the two major cases involving “FAN Pizza” and the criminal organization behind the “To Choriatiko”—appear to justify its existence, if one takes into account the report on its work up to October 26.
Specifically, since the DAOE began operations, both its central office and its regional units (the Sub-Directorate for Combating Organized Crime in Northern Greece, Sub-Directorate for Combating Organized Crime in Crete), have, according to the statistics, handled a total of more than 1,500 cases of serious and organized crime. In connection with the cases that were solved, charges were filed against approximately 5,500 perpetrators, of whom approximately 3,300 were arrested and brought to justice, while 814 of them were remanded in custody.
During this period, the DAOE dismantled a total of 260 criminal organizations and groups involved, among other things, in drug trafficking, aggravated theft, robberies, and fraud, as well as smuggling, homicides, cases involving the Greek mafia, sports-related violence, and the trafficking of contraband cigarettes. Specifically regarding the latter, as indicated in the data, the DAOE’s efforts resulted in a 10% reduction in the consumption of contraband cigarettes in Greece in contrast to other European Union member states where consumption increased.
It is worth noting that, according to the same data, the losses incurred by the Greek government as a result of the activities of the criminal organizations dismantled by the DAOE exceed five hundred million euros.
Source: Proto Thema
