Car theft ring with a specific preference for Japanese brand vehicles was uncovered on Saturday (8/11) by OPKE officers in West Attica. According to parapolitika.gr sources, the gang of Greeks and foreign nationals was stealing cars with the intention of transporting them for sale to a specific African country.
Police bust gang stealing cars
OPKE officers arrived at a car parts yard on Megalou Alexandrou street in Ano Liosia while investigating the theft of a vehicle that occurred on Friday, November 6. The vehicle’s GPS tracker provided information about its last known location, enabling police to organize a well-coordinated operation. They located and arrested six men, two of whom were Greek nationals.
Ano Liosia: stolen cars found in shipping container
As revealed by the OPKE investigation, three Toyota vehicles had been placed in a shipping container to be transported to an African country for sale to interested buyers.
These included a Toyota RAV stolen on November 4 from Heraklion, a Toyota CHR vehicle stolen on Friday, November 7 from central Athens, and another Toyota CHR model that was stolen on June 21, 2025, with the theft reported to the Crime Investigation Department of Kifissia.
Two of the four foreign nationals, all of African origin, attempted to avoid arrest by assaulting police officers, while one was in the country without proper entry and residence permits.
Police continue their investigation to determine who stole the vehicles and, more importantly, whether they had previously sent other shipments of stolen vehicles to the same or other African countries. The six arrested individuals face charges including “theft”, “receiving and disposing of stolen goods”, “assault against police officers”, violations of immigration law, and are expected to be brought before the competent prosecutor with the case file being prepared against them.
