Μake us preferred on Google A suspected drug trafficking ring operating on Mykonos allegedly used VIP vans to distribute multiple types of narcotics to tourists and other customers, while its alleged leader boasted that he would “conquer” the island before Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan arrived, according to police recordings included in the case file.
The recorded conversations, leaked to Greek media, provide an insight into the alleged gang’s operations, including efforts to develop a larger business presence on the island. In one conversation, the alleged leader discusses renting a venue in the Fabrika area through several companies and says: “We’ll all work and we’ll be legal and you’ll see, we’ll keep customers and everything … We’ll become here … and before Erdogan comes, I’ll conquer Mykonos and give it to him ready!”
The conversations also allegedly document the sale of pink cocaine, or “TUCI”, to tourists, with members using the code word “lahmacun” for the substance. In another exchange, a driver reports that a customer complained about the quality of the pink cocaine supplied to him. The alleged leader discusses the complaint and acknowledges that the driver is referring to the “colored” product rather than conventional cocaine.
Other conversations reveal the group’s hostility toward police checks on the island. The alleged leader and a driver discuss the prospect of a violent retaliation against officers issuing traffic citations, with the participants invoking Mexico as a model for how they would respond and discussing bringing in masked men to attack police.
Police say the group had a defined hierarchy and that searches of homes in Mykonos and the greater Athens area, vehicles and suspects uncovered more than 350 grams of cocaine, 155 grams of pink cocaine, MDMA, 277 grams of cannabis and ecstasy tablets. Officers also seized vaping devices, precision scales, a firearm, mobile phones and a safe, as well as more than €80,000, nearly $9,500 and 640 UK pounds.
Authorities estimate the group’s expected illegal proceeds from the drug sales, together with the cash seized, at more than €170,000 from the specific batch. Investigators believe the operation had been active since at least May, with drug deliveries allegedly taking place weekly. Four of those arrested had previously come to the attention of authorities for similar offenses, according to the investigation.
The case follows a series of major drug trafficking investigations on Mykonos reported by local media this summer. In June, police dismantled a network allegedly operating through a tourist transport company and seized more than five kilograms of narcotics, including cocaine, “pink cocaine”, ketamine, crystal methamphetamine and cannabis.
A second operation in June uncovered another network and more than two kilograms of cocaine, 705.65 grams of pink cocaine and other drugs, with police estimating illegal earnings at more than €700,000.
