Gang and chop-shop that stole over 40 cars busted in Attica

For the case, 6 people aged between 21 and 51 have been arrested following a coordinated police operation in various areas of Attica (Menidi, Liosia, Galatsi, Nea Ionia, Byronas and Ilioupoli). At the same time, two more of their accomplices are being sought.

It is noted that among those arrested is a 51-year-old man, who had worked as an actor, playing in a well-known and beloved television series of the past. The 51-year-old owned a car workshop, where he operated a makeshift chop-shop, in an outdoor area with a high fence and a large double door. From thiw garage the leading member of the gang, using a car - van, loaded and received car spare parts, for a fee. Among the victims of the spiral is the veteran international soccer player Stathis Tavlaridis, whose motorcycle was stolen.

The members of the organization are accused of founding and joining a "Criminal organization, distinguished thefts by complicity, by continuation and by profession", while the illegal profit from the activity of the criminal organization is estimated to exceed the amount of 980,000 euros.

The cars the gang preferred to steal
A characteristic of the speria's methodology is that they did not commit opportunistic thefts, but stole vehicles of a specific make, model and color, which each time perfectly matched vehicles they had just registered. The gang members targeted cars and motorcycles with particularly high demand, such as MERCEDES, models SLK and SMART, VOLKSWAGEN, model GOLF, TOYOTA, models CH-R and YARIS, PEUGEOT, models 208, 2008 and 3008, FORD, model FIESTA, FIAT, model 500, BMW, model GS 1250 R, OPEL, model CROSSLAND, CITROEN, model C3, RENAULT, model CAPTUR.

How the car theft ring worked
To achieve their goal, they had distinct roles, namely:

The leader of the organization, who ran a car repair shop in Ano Liosia, directed the other members about the vehicles they would remove and how to dispose of them further.

From the vehicles they stole, they took parts, which they made sure to channel accordingly, while the leader of the organization saw to how the parts from the stolen cars would be delivered to transport companies with invoices issued by his own companies.

His brother also participated in the criminal organization, also the owner of a company that is now in liquidation, who had a key role in the operation of the organization, as he carried out registrations of vehicles from abroad and then proceeded to sell the forged cars (the forgery was done in the workshop of his brother-the leader of the gang), taking the prices and deceiving the buyers.

The criminal organization had also built its own car dealership, with a specific member of it having taken over the specific process.

A member of the organization during the night hours moved in various areas of Attica, looking for vehicles to steal. After stealing the vehicle they were interested in, they moved it to neighborhood streets or to a lot they owned, to avoid detection, and then put foreign license plates on it.

There was another member of the criminal organization who owned a car repair shop and who also operated a makeshift vehicle scrap yard, in an outdoor area with a high fence and a large, double door. From this, the lead member using a car-van loaded and picked up auto parts, for a fee.