For nearly a year, Drug Enforcement officers had their antennas coordinated above the notorious “Greek Escobar,” almost the entire duration the 65-year-old record holder of drug trafficking was out of prison. As it appears, bad habits are hard to forget. A.A., known in the underworld as “Alekos,” has written his own history, as he was, according to police sources, one of the first to exploit gambling and games of chance for money laundering purposes. In fact, his performance was such that it makes those involved in the OPEKEPE scandal pale in comparison.
Today at 08:00 in the morning at the Piraeus Court Building, both “Alekos” and four other direct associates are expected to appear before the prosecutor and face criminal charges. On Monday (15/12) it became known that the notorious “Ourania A,” the fishing vessel that transported the cocaine cargo from the coasts of Venezuela to Europe, reached port on the island of Martinique. According to police sources, the counting of the cargo was ongoing until the early morning hours, Greek time. Until late Monday, French authorities had counted approximately 4 tons of cocaine.
The nickname “Greek Escobar” was anything but coincidental, given that the 65-year-old in previous decades was always on the side of residents in the broader Pieria region. Among them, residents in the settlements and in Katerini sang his praises, as through his business activities he had managed to economically revitalize the area. Like the authentic Escobar, so too “Alekos,” whenever there was need, whenever someone required help, he helped. Even today there are residents in the area who express gratitude for the “Greek Escobar.” Even after so many years, after so many scandals and naturally after the revelation that A.A. is responsible for trafficking massive quantities of hard drugs, the disposition of some residents hasn’t changed toward him. Recently, A.A. had turned to the hotel industry, but it appears he couldn’t resist one last “job.”
The method of operation appears identical to the one he followed in 2004, when utilizing the now legendary ship Africa 1, he attempted to channel the staggering quantity of 5.4 tons of cocaine into the European market. At that time, such a cargo cost over 500,000,000 euros. After 21 years, times have changed, as has the price of cocaine. The 4 tons found so far cost approximately 80,000,000 euros. By no means a negligible amount, however one realizes how cocaine has truly entered the homes of middle-class segments.
Before reaching the big “job” of that era, the “Greek Escobar” initially moved conservatively. In 2002 he had declared to tax authorities that he had won amounts of 1.3 million euros from gambling. In 2003 fortune had smiled on him again, as he had declared winnings of 2.5 million euros. Indeed, miraculously, he used to play significant amounts at a specific gambling establishment in Litochoro. When he ended up in prison in 2005, he allegedly gave orders to an associate to dig up (literally) the black cash from the spot where he had hidden it and play it at the same establishment. It’s indicative that in 2006 the gambling agency reached a turnover of almost 12.5 million euros in one month. It was clear that something wasn’t going… well.
Among everything else, of course, was his involvement with professional football. A.A. in the early 2000s had become involved with the Poseidon Neon Poron football club, even managing to lead it to the then Second National Division. The continuation, however, wasn’t proportional. After a few years, Poseidon passed into obscurity and from there into oblivion. Now, for years, the club has been inactive.
