Authorities in Dubai have arrested two alleged leaders of a transnational criminal organization accused of running one of the region's largest illicit cigarette-trafficking networks, according to Greek media reports. Greek authorities are expected to seek their extradition, while Russian authorities are also reportedly preparing a request.
The suspects are known by the aliases "Entik," described by investigators as the organization's leader, and "Leonidas," an ethnic Greek from Uzbekistan who is alleged to have served as the group's second-in-command. Both men had been sought under international arrest warrants.
Greek investigators allege that the organization, whose members are said to include Russian, Ukrainian and Georgian nationals, built its power through the production and distribution of smuggled cigarettes before expanding into violent organized crime. Prosecutors have linked the group to extortion, bomb attacks and contract killings targeting figures associated with Greece's underworld.
ΔΙΑΒΑΣΤΕ ΕΠΙΣΗΣ
According to investigators, the network sought to challenge the dominance of established criminal groups in Greece by taking control of the lucrative business of providing so-called "protection" to businesses. That struggle is alleged to have fueled a series of high-profile assassinations in recent years, including the killings of prominent underworld figures such as Yannis Skaftouras, Vangelis Roumbetis and Christos Zampounis.
Authorities believe the organization's leader directed operations from Dubai, where he allegedly ordered contract killings and sought to recruit business owners into extortion schemes. Investigators say he has an extensive criminal record, including multiple arrests and convictions, but continued to oversee the group's activities from abroad.
Greek law enforcement also alleges that the organization recruited dozens of loyal enforcers—known internally by nicknames such as "Bulldogs" and "Pit Bulls"—to carry out acts of intimidation, assaults and targeted killings.
