Theft of 45 watches worth €1.5m from shipowner's villa in Athens
Chilean burglary network removed 45 luxury watches from a shipowner's home in Athens. The members have been identified, but have not yet been arrested.
Chilean "criminal tourism" network behind massive villa burglary at shipowner's residence
Forty-five luxury watches with a total value of over €1.5 million were removed from the residence of a well-known shipowner in Athens — and behind the case, according to ERT, lies an international network of Chilean burglars who operated in Greece under the cover of being tourists.
The case was solved by police officers from the Organised Crime Suppression Directorate, who analysed video footage, investigative evidence and the route of the stolen goods to identify the members of the organisation.
Entries from Schengen countries, apartments with third-party details
The members of the network entered Greece from countries in the Schengen area, presenting themselves as ordinary tourists. They rented short-term rental apartments using details of third parties and moved around Athens and Attica in rental vehicles.
A 40-year-old man who was already in prison at the time of the burglaries is described as the alleged mastermind of the organisation. The core nucleus consisted of three other individuals aged 26, 33 and 40, whilst a 23-year-old woman is believed to have played a supporting role.
Multi-day surveillance before each operation
The perpetrators deliberately targeted luxury villas and expensive residences, which they conducted surveillance on for several days before entry. They waited to confirm the owners' absence and then broke in wearing gloves and masks, leaving minimal traces. Access was often gained by climbing from neighbouring buildings or walls, with forced entry through balcony doors.
Their target was exclusively extremely expensive watches, jewellery and gold items — they systematically ignored cash and other valuables.
45 watches, including handmade unique pieces
In the case of the shipowner's villa, two members of the network allegedly broke in by scaling the wall and forcing open a balcony door. Among the 45 watches that were removed were exceptionally rare, handmade pieces manufactured exclusively for their owner.
The stolen goods were channelled to fences, who purchased them and resold them as genuine second-hand luxury watches. According to the authorities, the 40-year-old inmate coordinated the management and disposal of the loot, directing the movements of the group and contacts with the receivers.
Identified, but still at large
Police authorities reported that the members of the criminal organisation have been fully identified and the case is considered solved — however, no arrests have been made thus far. Traces of the network were found both through the stolen goods themselves and through footage recorded by the villa's security cameras.
According to the assessment of the authorities, the network had developed high specialisation in burglaries of luxury residences, selecting areas of high economic interest and items of significant value and easy resale.
Source: ERT