Members of a fuel smuggling ring, dismantled by Greek authorities, managed to pocket more than €3,000,000 through their operations.

According to an extensive police investigation, the operation was structured on three levels. At the top was a leadership core headed by a 38-year-old man, who notably shares the same surname as a member of the Greek Mafia who was murdered several years ago.

Around this leadership core, two sub-sectors operated. The first dealt with supplying gasoline for internal combustion engines, while the second handled chemical solvents.

The Organization’s “Bases”

The network had bases in areas of Attica, Trikala, and Thessaloniki, with connections to unknown individuals in Poland, Bulgaria, and Albania. They imported solvents, adulterated fuels, tampered with pumps, and sold marine diesel to consumers seeking heating oil without receipts.

It was found that between April 19, 2025, and June 23, 2025, the group conducted seven shipments of solvents from Poland using tankers with Polish license plates, totaling at least 212,213 liters.

The solvents were temporarily stored in underground tanks in Mykani, Trikala, transferred from the Polish-registered tankers via pipe connections and pumps. The location had previously operated as a fuel station but, at the start of the police investigation, had no legal fuel trading activity.

The chemicals were then collected by members of the organization’s leadership using tanker trucks managed covertly by the alleged head of the operation.

Illegal Gasoline Transfers

Simultaneously, the ring systematically purchased large quantities of unleaded gasoline (38 shipments totaling over 1,338,809 liters in 2025) from Romania and Bulgaria. They falsified export declarations and accompanying documents, claiming the shipments were destined for an Albanian company.

The false declarations allowed the tankers to pass through the Krystallopigi customs checkpoint loaded with petroleum products of a different tariff classification than declared, products that were not subject to special consumption tax.

Specifically, after returning from Italy, the tankers either immediately or after a short storage period in Sindos would travel to the Krystallopigi border crossing, appearing to carry petroleum oils instead of gasoline. No actual customs inspection was carried out, and the tankers were deliberately filled with products different from what was declared.

The gasoline shipments were initially stored in Sindos. Quantities falsely declared for export to Albania were then illegally transferred to storage areas in Western Attica. Through complex operations, the gasoline that was not exported and remained in Greece for sale was distributed to fuel station customers without paying the corresponding customs duties.

Cheating Customers with… Solitaire

The ring also defrauded consumers by delivering less fuel than indicated. Members used illegal software called “Solitaire” to manipulate the fuel tracking systems, supplying up to 25% less fuel than the pump readings while charging customers for the full amount.

The program resembled a solitaire card game, but through key combinations and a password, a hidden menu allowed operators to alter the fuel tracking system and underdeliver by 25%.

Arrests and Seizures

A total of 22 people were arrested, and eight fuel stations were sealed. Investigators confiscated:

• €789,076 in cash
• 5 cars, 1 van, 15 trucks, and 10 trailer units
• 154,037 liters of marine diesel
• 88,760 liters of oil
• 3,500 liters of diesel fuel
• Fuel station software manipulating the tracking system
• 1 revolver and 46 bullets