The gang of 11 “Fast & Furious” from Diavata and the leader was called “Smurf”

For security analysts it was gang “Fast and Furious”. A high-tech team, they had wireless intercoms, special suits with helmets, special gloves that don’t leave DNA traces, while crashing with fast BMWs, Audis and Mercedes as “work” cars. The surprising thing is that they also had their garage in the western suburbs, where the cars entered and in a short time they stopped being recognized, they changed color and characteristics.

Finally, after several months of investigation, the “Gang 11” group – that is the number of people arrested so far, while a junior police officer was also accused – fell into the net of the law and now they are facing serious charges, because. 42 cases have been identified so far theft throughout Attica.

However, as the news says, the number of hits is expected to increase in the coming period, as they have come under the microscope of the authorities and several other complaints are being investigated “press” fully and how this gang works. The case was investigated by the North Attica Security Directorate with the assistance of TA Kifissia and Amarousiou.

“Ghost group”, as EL.AS analysts called it, while shooting without leaving any trace, not even a trace of a mobile phone, had marked young people who moved to the edge of the Rome mafia. Chief, aged 30. Their headquarters had been built Diavata of Thessalonica and they were visiting Athens for a few days, to hit the villas and disappear.

“ghosts”

The beginning of the end of the fast car gang started a few months ago. According to the case report presented by “THEMA”: “The trigger for the initiation of the police investigation was a large and continuous theft in houses and companies observed since last October and since then in the areas of the northern and southern suburbs. The original criminals were members of a criminal group consisting of at least five people who used a black BMW commercial vehicle.

At the time of the commission of the robbery, the composition of individuals was five, but individuals came from a pool of at least 7-8, among which the defendants and other unknown criminals occur. Last January, during the investigation, new information arrived, which said that … (ss: mentions the name) with the nickname “Smurf”, together with two other people were members of the organization and a used BMW commercial vehicle. and the team, parked at the special kavantza station, in Elefsina”.

The officers specifically mention one of the key features of the gang, which is that they had expensive and very fast “working” cars. The following is characteristically stated: “In order to achieve their main goal, which was to enrich themselves illegally, they increased their basic criminal activities by using BMW, Audi and Mercedes commercial vehicles, which had high horse power and placed registration plates of stolen or counterfeit cars. and example. This fact shows, on the one hand, that they had the intention of subverting the authority of the police and, on the other hand, that they had decided beforehand even if they were to be checked by the police before or after committing the theft, they only. The concern was a successful escape, regardless of anything else.”

However, even though they used very expensive cars worth thousands of euros, they made sure to change them every once in a while. “The main feature of their activities was the modification of commercial vehicles and especially the difference in the appearance of the same vehicle by changing the color of the frame, putting colored gelatin or rims of different shapes and colors,” the report says. The “Fast & Furious” gang had a special car dealership and the manager was “Nico the Perfect”, as they called him, who offered to change their cars.

Mode of operation

The leader of the group called “Smurf” was not from the capital, but from Diavata. “Using his own or rented cars, trains and planes, he traveled long distances to Athens where he stayed in the homes of his relatives or in Airbnb homes. During his stay in Attica, the organization’s activities were continuous and tireless, almost every day, being the only source of their income, while during his absence BMW, Audi and Mercedes business cars, which he chose and bought himself for the organization, remained hidden in their ranks of riders.

The members of the organization were united by family ties and close friendships, while, in addition to this, the common nature and cultural background strengthened the loyalty and obedience of the members to the will of the group, to the extent that no one took any action. without the agreement and consent of the leader”.

During the past six months, when a special team of officers of the North-Eastern Attica Security Sub-Directorate monitored the gang’s movements, they discovered that they had a specific method of their attacks: the hours when they would approach their target houses and businesses. car and after realizing that their occupants are not there, they would continue to break the central doors or windows, causing great material damage.

To enter the business, they always had enough equipment to commit theft, such as poles, hammers and other tools. Worthy of special mention is the fact that during the robbery they took the highest measures to protect themselves, carefully covering all parts of their bodies except their eyes, using equipment such as gloves, motorcycle helmets and full face helmets. From the video material it was observed that as an additional measure of protection they closed the connection of gloves and overcoat using adhesive tape.

This vaccine had a dual role. On the one hand, it reduced the possibility of their identification later, on the other hand, it eliminated the possibility of leaving biological material or fingerprints at the scene of the theft, thus making it difficult for the prosecuting authorities to identify them. . As found during the robbery, they did not bring mobile phones but only a wireless intercom.

Over the years, having improved their working wrists, they knew that their communications could be detected by scanning mobile phone antennas, or even captured through a legitimate link. Therefore, in the area where their criminal activities took place, basically, the people who were working were “ghosts”, having taken care to remove their natural and artificial traces”, it is indicated in the case file.

A pig’s tail

The task of the analysts to identify the characters was very difficult. This is because from the videos that the police saw after each beating, only two eyes of the perpetrators were visible and nothing else, while at a distance of several meters there was no sign of a mobile phone. At the same time, expensive cars often changed colors, rims and number plates and were difficult to identify, while none of the 42 steps confirmed so far have DNA or fingerprints.

So, only knowing who is hiding behind the screens, they asked for the removal of the phone privacy of specific mobile phones. So they found out that when the call from the leader named “Smurf” was coming from Attica, there was a series of robberies in the northern and southern suburbs.

However, on October 20 last year, the captain and vice-captain made a mistake. Their cell phone was coming from antennas in Kifissia and Nea Erythraia, while for almost two hours their phones did not make any movement. Meanwhile, on Stratigou Makrygianni Street in Kifissia, the gang broke into a mansion. The hit happened just a few meters from where the mobile phone was transmitting. Therefore, as indicated in the case file, they came to the conclusion that the above coincidences were not just random.

In the presentation, the following is stated: “After a detailed examination of the photos that were in the file of our service and related to theft by a group of criminals that had ruled us in the past, we came to the definite conclusion that. the main character of this has a similar image. In terms of appearance and clothing, they wear loose shirts or coats and a full-face hat with a pigtail on top, while the leader of the gang is a 30-year-old (ss: name withheld) nicknamed “Smurfette “.

Legal perspective

The lawyer of the defendant nicknamed “Nikos the Perfect” Alexandros Papaioannidis emphasizes “THEME”: “My client is not at all involved in the case. Any indications of his involvement in the illegal actions mentioned in the Police report do not lead anywhere. The whole case is based on rumors without evidence and evidence.”