Police said they dismantled one of the country’s biggest electricity-theft schemes, alleging that prominent business owners and private consumers benefited from a fraud that caused an estimated €9 million in losses to power distributor DEDDIE.
The operation, conducted by the Organized Crime Directorate in cooperation with DEDDIE, involved simultaneous searches in Attica and regions across Macedonia, Thrace, Thessaly and the Peloponnese. Three alleged ringleaders were arrested, while another 105 people face accusations. According to police information, the suspects did not steal electricity by tampering with power lines. Instead, they allegedly breached DEDDIE’s modern digital meters and sold reduced-consumption services to households and businesses for a fee tied to electricity usage.
Authorities recorded more than 600 cases across 14 prefectures. Among the alleged customers were well-known entrepreneurs, fuel-station owners and outlets of a major fast-food chain.
DEDDIE estimates electricity theft costs the energy market more than €450 million annually.
