The deadly explosion in Athens’ historic Plaka district, which killed six people after a copper pipe was allegedly vandalized at an apartment building’s natural gas supply system, has brought renewed attention to the persistent problem of copper theft in Greece, with criminal gangs also targeting public infrastructure and leaving parts of the capital without street lighting.

Athens Mayor Haris Doukas has called for immediate action, writing to Citizen Protection Minister Michalis Chrysochoidis to request a coordinated response to organized groups stealing copper cables from municipal infrastructure and other forms of criminal activity in the city center.

Municipal services have filed 70 complaints over copper theft in the past year, while an estimated nine kilometers of street-lighting cables have been stolen, according to figures cited by Doukas.

The thefts have caused extensive damage and widespread lighting outages, including along central streets and in public squares, raising safety concerns for residents, workers and visitors.

The cost of repairing the damage has reached hundreds of thousands of euros, placing an additional burden on the municipal budget.

An image of the criss-cross of wires powering Athens’ trolley buses

A persistent threat to public infrastructure

Copper theft has long been a problem in Greece, with criminal groups targeting railway networks, electricity installations, construction sites, solar parks and municipal infrastructure to extract metal for resale.

The consequences extend well beyond the value of the stolen material. The removal of railway cables can disrupt signaling and telecommunications systems, while thefts from electricity networks and public lighting installations can cause outages, damage equipment and undermine public safety.

The scale of the problem was illustrated last month when police dismantled an alleged criminal group accused of stealing approximately 25 kilometers of copper cables from a company’s construction site in Peania, east of Athens. The stolen material was valued at around one million euros, and 13 suspects were arrested. Six other alleged members were included in the case file.

In February, three people were arrested over the alleged theft of heavy copper cables from a solar park near Thebes, north of Athens.

The Plaka explosion has exposed the potentially fatal consequences of the same criminal economy. Authorities suspect that three men removed a copper section of a natural gas pipe from a building on Lysikratous Street, causing a leak that preceded the Sept. 25 explosion. The blast destroyed much of the building and killed six people.

The suspects face serious criminal charges in connection with the deaths. The case has also raised questions about the security of gas installations and the risks posed when metal components are removed from buildings.

Police target theft networks and scrap-metal dealers

The central government has pledged continued police operations against organized groups involved in copper theft, with authorities increasingly focusing on the entire chain of activity, from the removal of metal to its purchase and resale.

Greek Police spokeswoman Konstantia Dimoglidou has said that investigations are examining not only those who steal copper but also businesses that allegedly receive and resell stolen material – a long-time demand amongst the public opinion that has not been systematically broached over previous years. Nevertheless, in some cases, police investigations have led to the arrest of business operators accused of purchasing stolen metal and paying the alleged perpetrators in cash.