The Minister of Citizen Protection, Michalis Chrysochoidis, shared on social media the impressive results achieved by the Directorate for Combating Organized Crime (D.A.O.E.).

Among other remarks, he emphasized: “Fighting organized crime is shielding our democracy.”

Full Details of His Statement

“Good evening!

A few days ago, we introduced a new way of communicating and updating the public on the activities and, most importantly, the effectiveness of the services under the Ministry of Citizen Protection, particularly the Hellenic Police.

This initiative stems from my commitment to transparency, public information, and the qualitative and quantitative assessment of police effectiveness. Transparency and accountability build trust between citizens and the Police, and this is the path we are committed to following.

Every week, I will present sector-specific updates on initiatives we have implemented, the results achieved by police services, and our future plans.

Today, I will focus on the Directorate for Combating Organized Crime (D.A.O.E.), often referred to as Greece’s equivalent to the F.B.I. in public discussions.

Organized crime poses one of the most significant threats to national and European security. Reports from EUROPOL and INTERPOL highlight its complex and evolving nature, which cannot be addressed with traditional policing methods. This is why the EU and the UN recommend that countries establish specialized, centralized agencies to combat organized crime. This recommendation was also emphasized in the 2021 EU Strategy for Combating Organized Crime.

Drawing on these recommendations and the experiences of other countries, we established the Directorate for Combating Organized Crime.

A New Approach to Fighting Organized Crime

With a structured framework of seven specialized sub-divisions—covering areas like Narcotics, Human Trafficking, Economic Crime, Sports Violence, and Cybercrime—the D.A.O.E. integrates innovative strategies to prevent and combat serious crimes. It is staffed by specialized personnel and equipped with state-of-the-art technology.

Some of the key innovations include:

• Addressing the financial dimension of organized crime alongside its primary forms.
• Establishing specialized departments to combat illicit arms trafficking and counterfeit goods.
• Centralized information collection and analysis through a dedicated sub-directorate.
• Forming special operational teams for targeted actions against crime groups.
• Utilizing international police cooperation and data exchange with EUROPOL and INTERPOL.

Early Achievements of the D.A.O.E.

Since its official launch on October 21, 2024, the D.A.O.E. has achieved significant results in its first 71 days of operation (until December 31, 2024):

• Investigated 141 cases of serious and organized crime, including narcotics trafficking, homicides, criminal organizations, and illegal gambling.
• Dismantled 24 criminal organizations, arresting 355 suspects (258 Greek nationals, 97 foreign nationals).
• Of these, 149 were arrested for participating in a criminal organization.

Criminal Organizations at a Glance

• 10 groups had up to 5 members.
• 9 groups consisted of 6-12 members.
• 3 groups had 13-20 members.
• 2 groups included over 20 members.

Items Seized

The Directorate’s operations resulted in the confiscation of:

• €1.5 million in cash and rare coins.
• Over €6.3 million in lost tax revenue.
• Significant quantities of drugs, firearms, contraband cigarettes, counterfeit goods, and even ancient artifacts.

Minister’s Closing Remarks

In his concluding statement, Minister Chrysochoidis highlighted ongoing efforts to further strengthen the D.A.O.E. with advanced technology, improved information analysis systems, and specialized training in collaboration with foreign agencies.

He reiterated the government’s commitment to tackling organized crime as a top priority, stating, “By fighting organized crime, we are shielding our democracy.”