Greek mafia

The Greek Mafia is a colloquial term used by Greek and international media to describe various organized criminal groups and networks operating in Greece, particularly in Athens and the wider region of Attica. The expression does not refer to a single criminal organization with a unified hierarchy. Rather, it is generally used as an umbrella term for competing, cooperating and sometimes overlapping criminal networks involved in activities such as extortion, protection racketeering, drug trafficking, smuggling, money laundering, illegal gambling and targeted violence.

The term "Greek Mafia" is primarily a journalistic expression. Greek police and law-enforcement agencies generally refer to specific groups as criminal organizations or criminal groups rather than treating the "Greek Mafia" as a single formally constituted organization.

Organized crime in Greece has developed over several historical periods. Earlier forms of banditry and smuggling existed before the emergence of modern organized crime, while recognizable urban criminal networks became increasingly visible during the second half of the 20th century. From the 1990s onward, organized crime became an increasingly important law-enforcement and public-policy issue, while Greek criminal networks became more closely connected with transnational criminal markets.

History

Early antecedents

Organized criminal activity in Greece predates the modern use of the term "Greek Mafia". Historical studies identify banditry, smuggling and other forms of illicit economic activity as important antecedents during the 19th and early 20th centuries.