Greek police dismantle car theft ring in Attica: 13 arrests, over €1 million in illegal profits

The operation

A coordinated police operation led by the Spata-Artemida Crime Investigation Department, with support from the Northeast Attica Crime Investigation Subdivision and the special rapid response unit OPKE, took place in the morning of Monday, 15 June 2026, across the Attica region. Acting on arrest warrants, officers detained 13 members of the gang, aged between 22 and 38. The case file includes charges of forming and joining a criminal organization, aggravated vehicle theft by joint complicity and occupation, forgery, fraud, and money laundering from criminal activities.

How the ring operated

Investigators found that the group had been active since at least March 2023. They stole cars from various parts of Attica, then removed the genuine chassis-number sections and tampered with the identification data to give the vehicles a clean appearance. Afterwards, they sold the falsified cars to unsuspecting buyers as legitimate. In parallel, some members filed false vehicle-theft reports in order to collect insurance payouts, adding another layer of illegal income.

What the police seized

During the months-long investigation, officers confiscated a total of 36 vehicles. Specialized technical checks confirmed that 19 of them were stolen and bore falsified registration details; those 19 have since been returned to their lawful owners. Searches of the suspects' homes yielded key-copying equipment, vehicle diagnostic devices, lock-picking tools, tracking systems, mobile phones, computers, two replica pistols, firearms, and €30,000 in cash.

Solved cases and estimated profit

The Hellenic Police have so far cleared up 33 vehicle thefts and 9 cases of false theft reporting linked to the network. The criminal group’s illicit financial gain is estimated to exceed €1 million, according to the police. The investigation remains open as authorities work to determine the full extent of the organization's activities.

Legal proceedings

All 13 detainees were brought before the competent public prosecutor on the same day. The case continues to be examined, with the Hellenic Police pursuing further leads to uncover any additional criminal acts committed by the organization.