POLICE ARRESTED 17 PEOPLE FOR ILLEGALLY OBTAINED SUBSIDIES

ATHENS, MAY 26 /SRNA/ - Police had arrested 17 people in various parts of Greece in a new operation targeting an alleged criminal network whose members are accused of fraudulently obtaining European Union agricultural subsidies through Greece's former payment agency OPEKEPE since 2019, Ekathimerini reports.

The ongoing operation is led by Thessaloniki's Organized Crime Unit, and alleged members of the criminal group were detained in Thessaloniki, Serres, Kilkis and Athens.

Police estimate the network's illegal profits exceeded €4.5 million, while the investigation continues.

The raid is the second in two days, after officers arrested 20 people in Crete as part of several ongoing OPEKEPE fraud investigations.