Greek authorities arrested 37 people across the country on Wednesday in a major crackdown on an organized criminal group accused of defrauding the EU’s agricultural subsidy system of more than 19.6 million euros ($22.7 million). The European Public Prosecutor’s Office (EPPO) said the group, active since at least 2018, exploited loopholes in the EU’s Common Agricultural Policy to claim subsidies for land and livestock that did not exist or did not meet eligibility rules.
Investigators said the suspects used falsified documents, inflated livestock numbers, and fictitious invoices to secure and launder EU funds, which were later spent on luxury goods, travel, and vehicles. EPPO identified 324 subsidy recipients linked to the scheme, with 42 considered active members of the network, most of whom had no real connection to farming.
