After more than 15 hours of testimony, six out of 22 suspects in a large-scale fuel smuggling and adulteration case in Greece have been placed in pretrial detention, while 16 others were released with or without conditions.

Among those held is the alleged ringleader, a 39-year-old man, along with two suspected lieutenants and three others accused of playing central roles in the criminal organization. His wife was released on bail of €15,000. Four defendants were ordered to report regularly to police, while 11 were freed without restrictions.

What the suspects said

The alleged leader exercised his right to remain silent before the investigating magistrate, offering no answers to the charges.

One of the accused lieutenants, a businessman of Albanian origin, denied involvement, insisting: “I have no connection to any criminal organization. My companies operate legally, and I have documentation proving that all imports of solvents were legitimate. Customs inspections have never found any irregularities.”

Other defendants also rejected the charges, which include directing, joining, or participating in a criminal organization, as well as money laundering. They claimed they had no role in fuel smuggling or adulteration activities.