Filenews 23 October 2025 - by Michalis Hatzivasilis
The Police proceeded to map organized crime, finding that factions either here or abroad (mainly from Greece) send paid killers to execute death contracts.
Relevant references were made yesterday at the closed session of the Legal Committee of the Parliament, which was extraordinarily informed about organized crime after the murder of Stavros Demosthenous in Limassol. Data on the factions operating in Cyprus by region, but without names, were given by the Minister of Justice and the Chief of Police. The deputies were shown a plan mapping the factions operating in the various provinces as well as the sectors in which they are active and the people belonging to organized crime. According to information from "F", Minister Marios Hartsiotis informed the MPs that the authorities know the people who are active in organized crime, who is leading, while they know that there are persons related to two separate factions from different cities.
It was also reported that the Greek mafia sends executioners to Cyprus who carry out custom-made murders and return back. It is for this reason that information on the issue was recently requested by the Greek authorities. According to our same information, Limassol and Larnaca have the first place in crime, followed by Paphos and then Nicosia and Famagusta. In Limassol and Larnaca there are members of factions belonging to two different groups that either work together or act in some cases separately.
At the session, it was mentioned by the government that the issue of installing cameras on main roads both in cities and on highways for the purpose of combating crime alone is being seriously studied, while the bill is also expected to be reviewed so that it can be forwarded to the Parliament to start monitoring telephone conversations. The providers are ready, the machines have been purchased and the legal framework is awaited.
MPs asked several questions regarding the action of the factions, while they also referred to the latest murder in Limassol with the victim Stavros Demosthenous. The Chief of Police, Themistos Arnaoutis, expressed his optimism to the MPs that this heinous crime will finally be solved, with MPs expressing their satisfaction with the reaction of the Police and the measures taken.
On the right track
"We hope for clarification and for the culprits of this heinous crime to be brought to justice," the Minister of Justice said after the session. He added that "we are four days after the heinous crime, there is enough evidence and yes, we hope that this crime will be solved." Answering a question, the minister said that "organized crime existed, exists and will continue to exist. Organized crime evolves in terms of the methods followed from time to time." As he said, organized crime is now imported, which, as he noted, is not a novelty of Cyprus. "Organized crime will never be cracked down. However, it is the obligation of the state to take all those measures at its disposal in order to limit the spread of organized crime in the territory of our country to the greatest extent possible. That's what happens," he said.
Asked how organized crime is evolving, he said that in the past it was "purely Cypriot" and "of Cypriot interests", noting that today many come to Cyprus to commit offenses on behalf of others, whether they are in Cyprus or abroad. He also said that in the past the majority of crimes took place at night, while now they even take place during the day. He even gave as a relevant example the robbery at the Louvre and the time it took place. Mr. Hartsiotis added, however, that "we are not in uncharted waters and that a lot has happened lately". Especially in organized crime, he said that what had not been done for many decades was done. "Special units have been set up in the Police that deal exclusively with organized crime, organized crime is mapped," he said.
Asked to comment on the fact that many cases of organized crime, like this one, are linked to convicts in the Central Prisons, he said that we have not yet reached definitive conclusions in this case. "Mobile phones and drugs are a perennial problem of prisons. It will not be resolved definitively," he said. Referring to the claim that the solution of the prisons' problems in the part of organizing crimes will occur when the mobile phones are permanently gone, he said that the prison building "is not watertight", noting that prisoners receive visits, go out to relatives, communicate with conventional telephone numbers inside the prisons.
MPs and police representatives call for measures to be strengthened
On the part of MPs, Nikos Georgiou of DISY referred to the need to give the authorities the powerful weapon of phone surveillance, while on the part of AKEL, MP Andreas Pasiourtidis, said that they are deeply concerned that organized crime has been completely emboldened, that there seems to be participation from prisons and that the feeling of insecurity in society is intensifying. He also noted that it is a common belief that organized crime "is ahead of its persecutors", stating that repression may be the largest part of the police, "but prevention is also very important, let alone for serious crimes".
For his part, ELAM MP, Sotiris Ioannou, distinguished organized crime with others related to immigration, for which ELAM has submitted a law proposal since 2022, so that those arrested for criminal offenses are deported immediately.
The President of the "ISOTITA" Police Branch, Nikos Loizides, when asked about the issue, said that three things are needed to combat organized crime: The recording and use of audio documents as testimony, the creation of maximum security prisons in Menogia, and the increase of front-line police officers from the current 800 to 2,000.
Seizure of a hotel and €25 million in crypto
Mr. Hartsiotis gave information to the MPs on the fight against organized crime. As he mentioned, since April 2024, the Asset Investigation Branch has been established to check people who have not given rise to their involvement in generative offenses, but seem to lead a lifestyle that is not consistent with the income they declare to the state.
As part of the investigation of cases, assets including a hotel, a house, cars worth €1.1 million, ancient relics and a church icon were seized. From 1/1/2024 to 16/5/2025, amounts of money reaching €1.2 million have been frozen or confiscated. At the same time, properties such as houses, apartments, hotels and plots of land with a total value of €8.9 million were seized or confiscated. and jewellery and valuables with a total value of one million.
Vehicles worth €1.1 million were also seized. as well as cryptocurrencies worth €25 million. €1.8 million were also frozen in bank accounts abroad. and another €890.000 which are amounts for investigated cases.
