Family mafia in Crete: Over €500,000 in subsidies via fake livestock farms
Climate of terror among 40 families in Amári, Rethymno – three arrested individuals to appear on Friday.
Climate of terror in Amári: How a family gang seized subsidies from OPEKEPE
At least 40 families in Amári, Rethymno lived under a climate of terror, according to reports carried by ertnews.gr. Beatings, arson and extortion were the tools of the "family mafia", whose alleged mastermind is a 43-year-old arrested in Athens and transferred to the Rethymno courthouse.
Even family friends and godparents fell within the gang's sights. Once they gained control of other people's properties, they declared them as their own to OSDE, securing European subsidies through OPEKEPE. Local residents described to the ertnews.gr camera how members of the gang "lived like lords", constantly changing cars.
A factory of fake livestock units
Beyond land seizures and uncontrolled grazing of goats and sheep on other people's fields – a method with which they reduced animal feed costs – the organisation had established an entire factory of fake livestock units. Cross-checks carried out by the Crete Organised Crime Suppression Department for the period 2021–2025 showed that family couples, dividing roles among themselves, collected over half a million euros in European subsidies.
In at least one case, gang members falsely presented stables in the Amári area as their own, attempting to appropriate them through adverse possession. The total damage to victims' crops, according to the authorities, exceeds €200,000.
Three previous detentions – far more victims
The spokesperson for the Hellenic Police, Assistant Police Commissioner Konstantína Dimoglídou, stated to ertnews.gr that three members of the organisation had previously been brought in on livestock theft charges. She emphasised that the entire family – with a presence in Heraklion and Rethymno – is now under the scrutiny of the authorities, whilst the real number of victims is estimated to be considerably larger, as many feared speaking out.
The accused face very serious criminal prosecutions of both felony and misdemeanour character. The case file includes a total of six other individuals, whilst three additional arrested persons for livestock thefts are said to have an indirect connection to the main nucleus of the organisation.
Appearance on Friday
The two brothers were brought before the examining magistrate and requested an adjournment to appear on Friday. The same applies to the 43-year-old uncle, who was transferred from Athens – where he was arrested – to the Rethymno courthouse.
The case is also linked to broader fraud against OPEKEPE: according to ertnews.gr, the illegal financial gain from a similar scheme in Thessaloniki exceeds €4.5 million.
Source: Ta Nea