Newly released video appears to show a leader of an organized crime group in Crete brutally assaulting a man inside a café.
In the footage, the suspect—accompanied by several men dressed in black—appears unfazed by the horrified patrons watching the attack. He repeatedly punches the man, throws him to the floor, and continues beating him.
The suspect is currently being held in pretrial detention. He is also the man heard in intercepted conversations with the commander of a police unit in Chania regarding an alleged extortion case involving a contractor. According to investigators, members of the criminal group demanded €20,000 from the contractor in exchange for allowing construction work to continue.
Intercepted Conversation
Suspect: “I’ve got myself into trouble.”
Police officer: “What happened?”
Suspect: “What do you think? Because of that idiot. He’ll call you tomorrow, and since some people are coming there tomorrow, I’ll bring my guys too—my muscle—and head over there.”
Police officer: “Hmm…”
Suspect: “Just make sure your people stay calm. We’ll sort it out there, little by little, so I can gradually defuse the situation without causing any trouble.”
Conversation About Chania’s Mayor
Investigators were also struck by another intercepted conversation concerning the mayor of Chania, whom one of the three police officers allegedly linked to the criminal organization is accused of threatening.
Police officer: “What are you doing?”
Suspect: “What am I doing? I cursed everyone yesterday—sorry for the language—but the mayor kept calling me, about 30 times. I told him, ‘Don’t even think about calling the police.'”
Police officer: “Yeah, he called me too. He told me nothing would happen for a few days.”
Suspect: “Oh, he called you?”
Police officer: “Yeah, he called me last night.”
Suspect: “Yeah, because I gave him hell. Then this morning the contractors went and picked up the pipes. Listen to this. Honestly, you should have gone and arrested the mayor yourself—not me.”
Police officer: “You know what I told him? I said, ‘Be a good boy, eat all your food, because you’re going to get a serious beating.'”
