Using “mules”—illegal migrants and so-called “Gulenists,” the transportation of weapons reaching Greece is carried out, “Manifesto” reveals.
Turkish smugglers are using trails along the Evros River to transport the Turkish traffickers transport the “ghost” pistols via trails along the Evros River, in order to arm members of the Turkish mafia operating in our country, as revealed by “Manifesto.”
These specific weapons are manufactured in illegal factories in Turkey and are exact replicas of those produced by well-known companies, with their serial numbers omitted.
Greek FBI officials and border guards conduct ongoing inspections to prevent the transport of these weapons into our country, but members of trafficking networks operating in the neighboring country are devising various ways to achieve their goal.
In the role of… delivery
As has been established by years of investigations by the Greek Police on how pistols make their way from Turkey to Greece, arms dealers use everyone from members of their networks to illegal immigrants or even individuals who enter our country posing as “Gülenists” and, via Evros, take on the role of… delivery.
These are employees of illegal factories, who load the weapons and magazines with bullets, wrap them in insulating tape, and “seal” them airtight inside waterproof bags. After smuggling the shipment across from Turkey, they then transport it across the Evros River to the Greek side and leave it at a predetermined location. Next, a liaison from the Turkish mafia’s criminal networks goes to the area and picks up the weapons.
Another method of transporting the weapons is via migrants who are used as “mules,” known in criminal slang as “mules.” These are individuals at the lowest levels of criminal networks, who are at the greatest risk of being arrested and are usually unaware of the full extent of the criminal activity in which they are involved.
As part of the investigations that led to the arrests of arms traffickers, police officers—and particularly officials from the Greek FBI, who are closely monitoring individuals allegedly linked to the activities of these criminal networks— it has been established that weapons have been attempted to be smuggled into our country, and that individuals presenting themselves as “Gulenists” arrive in our country as politically persecuted people seeking a… better future.
However, in their luggage, in addition to clothes and their few personal belongings, they were also carrying “ghost” weapons, which are believed to have been destined for members of the Turkish mafia.
In late May, police officers from the Department for Combating Trafficking in Persons and Goodsarrested a man who was transporting 25 weapons from Komotini to Xanthi, similar to those found in the possession of dozens of members of the Turkish mafia or following searches of apartments in Athens where Turkish citizens were residing.
These are unmarked pistols with no serial numbers or serial numbers, or calibers, making it nearly impossible to trace the owner, the manufacturer, or the route they took to enter Greek territory.
Dozens of arrests
According to high-ranking police sources familiar with the activities of the Turkish mafia in our country, at least 500 individuals are residing in Greece and are alleged to play an active or supporting role in illegal activities.
All of these individuals are under “scrutiny” of Greek FBI officials, who monitor their movements and, when any illegal activity is detected or information about an imminent operation is received, intervene and arrest them.
More than 11 different Turkish criminal organizations with conflicting interests are under the authorities’ scrutiny. Among them are well-known factions such as the “Daltons,” the “Sahins,” and the “Budaglar,” which are actively involved in international drug trafficking rings—primarily heroin—as well as arms smuggling, extortion, and money laundering.
Members of these criminal networks use Greece as a safe haven, but also as a venue for settling their disputes. In several cases, such as the Loutsa incident on September 11, 2023, which left six people dead, these disputes are settled with hundreds of bullets and bloodshed. From that time until last March, 34 members of the Turkish mafia have been arrested in Greece.
