A major criminal ring stealing copper from transformers in rural areas of Karditsa and Larissa has been dismantled by officers of the Thessaly Regional Police Directorate, with the assistance of the Northern Greece Organized Crime Sub-Directorate.

During a presentation held today in Larissa, authorities revealed that the ring had been active from 2024 until just a few days ago. Police arrested 25 people and identified four more in the course of the investigation.

According to police, the suspects operated mainly at night, targeting rural areas in Larissa and Karditsa, where they stole copper from transformers and power grid cables. They even removed cables leading to irrigation boreholes, leaving farmers without electricity and unable to water their crops.

Farmers have reported that, in some cases, on the very same day the local authorities repaired a transformer, members of the ring returned only hours later and stole the copper again. The stolen material was then allegedly channelled to a scrap facility in Larissa.

The investigation found that the ring was involved in 561 cases of copper theft in Larissa and Karditsa, generating profits of more than 890,000€.

The damage caused over this period is estimated at 3 million€. Farmers also suffered losses, as the perpetrators stole cables from their own networks leading to irrigation boreholes. The local irrigation authority in Sofades, Karditsa, alone suffered losses of up to €30,000 for each year the ring was active.

Those arrested were brought before the Karditsa prosecutor on charges including participation in a criminal organization, aggravated theft, receiving and disposing of proceeds of crime, and violations of weapons legislation.