Ten Panathinaikos supporters arrested over criminal organisation – drugs, extortion and arson
Ten members of an organised criminal group of Panathinaikos supporters were arrested in Western Attica and Korinthia. A total of 29 other individuals and 7 parents of minors have been charged.
Dismantling of Panathinaikos supporters criminal organisation – 10 arrests in Attica and Korinthia
Ten members of a criminal organisation composed of organised supporters of Panathinaikos were arrested in the early hours of Wednesday, 1 July 2026, as part of a coordinated police operation in Western Attica and Korinthia, according to Efimerida ton Syntakton. In the same case, 29 other identified individuals and an unknown number of persons are charged, whilst prosecution has been brought against 7 parents for negligent supervision of their minor children.
The operation was carried out by the Directorate for Combating Organised Crime, following a months-long investigation by the Sub-Directorate for Combating Organised Sports Violence. According to police, the organisation had been active since at least August 2025.
Structure and operation of the organisation
The organisation did not have a strict hierarchical structure, but operated with distinct roles and persons who exercised guiding influence over other members, ensuring the planning, coordination and execution of criminal activities. A club facility served as the organisation's base of operations, which functioned under the cover of ostensibly lawful activity.
Members moved about in an organised manner with their identifying features concealed. For assaults they used wooden poles, batons, metal objects, hammers, flares and torches, with the aim of gaining dominance over supporters of rival teams and establishing their presence in the realm of organised sports violence.
Drug distribution in schools and prisons
In parallel with supporter-related assaults, members of the organisation had formed a separate criminal group engaged in the procurement, storage and distribution of narcotic substances. The seized substances included cocaine, raw cannabis, pink cocaine and ecstasy.
The leadership members supplied substances to lower-ranking members, who undertook to resell them in entertainment venues, private gatherings and sports facilities. According to the investigation, this activity extended even to school units and a detention facility.
To collect monetary debts arising from drug distribution, members of the group made threats, extortions and committed acts of violence. Their involvement in at least two arson cases was also established, which were carried out with the aim of exerting pressure or settling debts.
Solved cases
Within the scope of the same investigation, multiple criminal cases were solved:
- 28 August 2025, Kolonos: Members of the organisation travelled to the location in an organised manner to assault supporters of a rival team. In the ensuing clash, a member of the same organisation was seriously injured.
- 27 and 29 September 2025: Two assaults following the conclusion of football matches. In the second, approximately 30 perpetrators with concealed identifying features attacked departing spectators, causing damage to vehicles and forcibly removing personal belongings.
- 23 September 2025: A pre-arranged confrontation ("rendezvous") between organised supporters, agreed in advance.
- 4 March 2026: A robbery assault against a foreigner; a group of perpetrators inflicted serious bodily injury and took away the motorcycle and personal belongings, which were later found with extensive damage.
- 23 March 2026: An organised confrontation in the vicinity of a sports facility with the use of flares, fire extinguishers and other objects.
Charges and investigations
A file of evidence was compiled against those arrested for forming and membership in a criminal organisation, robbery, dangerous and grievous bodily harm, extortion, arson, damage to others' property, as well as violations of sports legislation and weapons and drugs legislation.
Some of the leadership members repeatedly breached restrictive conditions imposed on them by judicial authorities, continuing to attend matches and engage in new criminal acts.
During searches of 14 homes, the club facility and means of transport – with the assistance of judicial officers and police detection dogs (K-9) – narcotic substances, weapons and other items relevant to the case were found and seized.
Among the 29 identified individuals charged in the same file are organised supporters of other sports teams, though there is no evidence of their being part of the specific criminal organisation.
Source: Efimerida ton Syntakton