Greek police targets Turkish mafia in operations in Athens, Thessaloniki

Greek police announced that it conducted a large-scale operation on Friday targeting criminal groups reportedly associated with the Turkish mafia in Athens and Thessaloniki, resulting in the arrest of 11 individuals and the seizure of weapons, drugs, and counterfeit documents.

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According to a report by Kathimerini, authorities detained ten Turkish nationals and one Lebanese citizen, while an additional 12 Turkish nationals were brought in for questioning.

Charges have been filed against the arrested individuals for forgery, as well as violations of laws concerning weapons, narcotics, and immigration.

Footages from the scene where alleged Turkish mafia clash occured in Athens, Greece. (Newsbomb.gr Photo)

Seized weapons and narcotics

During the raids, police uncovered a range of illegal items, including:

• A 9mm pistol with a loaded magazine containing 12 rounds
• Five empty magazines
• An air rifle equipped with a scope
• Two air rifle magazines and 856 metal pellets
• Two nylon packages containing 12.5 grams of drugs
• A small package containing 0.77 grams of drugs
• A precision scale and a grinder with drugs residue
• Five mobile phones and five SIM card packages
• €790 ($814) in cash
• A Turkish identification card of questionable authenticity

A narcotics detection dog assisted in locating some of the illegal substances.

Captured items during Greek police's raids, targeting reportedly the Turkish mafia in Athens and Thessaloniki. (Greek Police Photo)

Second operation targeting criminal networks in recent weeks

This operation follows a similar raid on December 11, during which Greek police arrested several individuals and confiscated 49 firearms and narcotics.

That earlier crackdown occurred shortly after the fatal shooting of two Turkish nationals in Athens' Glyfada district, an incident believed to be linked to Turkish criminal networks operating in Greece.