A handout photo shows some of the evidence seized from properties linked to the suspects.
Authorities have arrested three men, including the president of the Metamorfosi community and an active firefighter, after an investigation linked them to suspected arson, thefts and extortion schemes tied to irrigation water in an area affected by drought.
According to the fire service’s arson crimes unit, the investigation focused on suspicious fires reported in the community for the past two years. Witness statements and telephone interceptions led investigators to the three suspects, who were arrested over the weekend and are due to testify Wednesday.
Investigators allege the community president controlled access to limited irrigation water and demanded payments outside the rules governing the local community. Those who paid allegedly received water, while those who refused allegedly saw property and crops burned and agricultural machinery disappear from storage buildings and vehicles.
The inquiry also produced indications that the suspects used farmland in the Metamorfosi area that did not belong to them to collect fraudulent OPEKEPE subsidies through Crete. Investigators recorded conversations in which a firefighter discussed a company in Crete and another exchange in which a woman suggested collecting examples of residents’ signatures “so we can forge them on the documents,” warning that discrepancies could create problems if OPEKEPE conducted an inspection.
