While the major Drug Enforcement operation in Mykonos concluded with arrests and seizures, the case file reveals a picture that resembles a well-organized business far more than a typical drug trafficking ring.
At the center of the case is a 36-year-old man of Albanian origin who had Hellenized his name to “Manolis” and, according to the case file, held absolute control over the organization. Police describe him as the man who selected suppliers, coordinated the other members, made decisions about drug movements, managed the stash houses, and had the final say over the money flowing in from sales.
By his side was his 38-year-old partner, a beautician by profession and widely known for her striking appearance. According to the indictment, she was far from a decorative figure — she actively participated in the organization’s operations, taking charge of storing drugs, overseeing concealment locations, and on occasion handling their distribution.
The VIP transfers front in Mykonos
One of the most striking elements is the way in which, according to authorities, the organization constructed its “legitimate” front. The ringleader allegedly operated a tourist transport company equipped with luxury Mercedes vans for VIP transfers across the island. The vehicles handled daily arrivals and departures from the airport, the port, hotels, and beach bars, ferrying wealthy visitors around Mykonos.
According to the case file, those same luxury vehicles were also used by the organization’s members for their own movements — and for transporting drugs. The sight of a professional van carrying out VIP transfers would hardly raise suspicion on an island where dozens of identical vehicles operate every single day.
The choice to use exclusively high-end Mercedes is not considered coincidental. For investigators, it was part of the cover the organization had carefully built, allowing them to blend seamlessly into the island’s tourist routine without standing out.
The Mykonos villas hiding drugs
The locations used to conceal the drugs painted a similarly lavish picture. The so-called “stash houses” bore no resemblance to abandoned buildings or dingy warehouses. On the contrary, several of them were luxury Cycladic villas complete with private swimming pools, perfectly in keeping with the image of cosmopolitan Mykonos.
Behind those whitewashed walls and private pools, according to the case file, significant quantities of cocaine, pink cocaine (TUCI), MDMA, ketamine, cannabis, psychedelic mushrooms, and other substances were being stored, awaiting distribution to the market.
Investigators believe the organization used different properties for different purposes, thereby limiting the risk of losing its entire stockpile should any single location be discovered.
The party scene price list
Among the most revealing details in the case file is the itemized price list that, according to authorities, governed the substances the organization was selling. Cocaine was priced between €120 and €150 per gram, while pink cocaine (TUCI) — enormously popular in Mykonos’s nightlife venues — reached as high as €200 per gram.
The list also included MDMA, ketamine, cannabis, psychedelic mushrooms, drug-laced blotter paper, and even Xanax pills.
The picture that emerges is of a market that had fully adapted to the demands of a cosmopolitan island, with prices set considerably higher than in other parts of the country.
The €700,000 and the big question
Although approximately €117,000 in cash was seized during the raids, investigators believe the organization’s true profits were far greater. The case file specifically notes that the expected financial gain derived from the criminal activity exceeds €700,000 — a figure that underscores the full scale of the operation attributed to the ring.
The key question investigators must now answer is where the rest of the money went. The inquiry is ongoing, with authorities examining financial transactions, assets, and potential channels through which the profits may have been concealed or laundered.
What is certain is that this case illuminates a very different side of Mykonos. Behind the champagne, the VIP tables, and the luxury transfers, the Drug Enforcement Agency maintains that a highly sophisticated operation was running — one that had succeeded in weaving its illicit activity into the most glamorous backdrop of the Greek summer.
