Authorities said Monday they have arrested 20 people across the island of Crete – spanning the Rethymno, Iraklio, and Lasithi regions – in an ongoing operation targeting an alleged criminal network accused of fraudulently obtaining European Union agricultural subsidies through Greece’s former payment agency OPEKEPE.
The operation, led by Crete’s Organized Crime Unit, focuses on dismantling what investigators describe as a structured group that illegally claimed farm payments over several years.
Among those detained are two accountants and three officials from Declaration Reception Centres (KYD), whom authorities say formed part of the group’s leadership.
Police estimate the network’s illegal profits exceeded €3 million in under five years, while around 90 people are believed to be under investigation.
Authorities said the scheme was centered on a Rethymno-based accounting firm that allegedly coordinated the operation with KYD offices, which had access to agricultural data and identified undeclared or unused farmland.
