Police snatch international crime racket suspects

Police in the northern port city of Thessaloniki on Wednesday announced the arrest of 14 suspected members of an international criminal ring believed to be behind a large number of thefts and burglaries in Greece and France.

According to the announcement, the arrests came in the context of “international cooperation for a crackdown on organized crime by Russian-speaking criminals.”

Of the 14 suspects arrested in Thessaloniki, a 57-year-old man is believed to be the ringleader, with another two men, aged 49 and 56, second and third in command.

The suspects face a string of charges including membership of a criminal organization. According to investigators, the ring members robbed 56 properties in the past year, netting loot worth in excess of 1 million euros.

No details were released about the ring’s alleged activities in France.