VZCZCXRO1567
OO RUEHAG RUEHDF RUEHIK RUEHLZ RUEHROV
DE RUEHTH #1416/01 1940813
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
O 130813Z JUL 07 ZDK
FM AMEMBASSY ATHENS
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 9682
INFO RUCNMEM/EU MEMBER STATES COLLECTIVE PRIORITY
RUEHUJA/AMEMBASSY ABUJA PRIORITY 0055
RUEHTA/AMEMBASSY ASTANA PRIORITY 0017
RUEHCV/AMEMBASSY CARACAS PRIORITY 0651
RUEHCH/AMEMBASSY CHISINAU PRIORITY 0225
RUEHKV/AMEMBASSY KYIV PRIORITY 0020
RUEHMO/AMEMBASSY MOSCOW PRIORITY 0886
RUEHPG/AMEMBASSY PRAGUE PRIORITY 0053
RUEHTI/AMEMBASSY TIRANA PRIORITY 1241
RUEHWR/AMEMBASSY WARSAW PRIORITY 0138
RUEHYE/AMEMBASSY YEREVAN PRIORITY 0122

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 ATHENS 001416 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
SENSITIVE 
 
DEPT G/TIP FOR HALL, EUR/SE FOR MELLINGER 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PGOV PREL KHUM KWMN KCRM SMIG GR
SUBJECT: GREECE SCORES VICTORY AGAINST INTERNATIONAL 
TRAFFICKING RING 
 
 
¶1. (SBU) SUMMARY.  On July 8, Greek anti-trafficking police 
carried out simultaneous raids on 34 different locations in 
Athens, arresting 11 suspected members of an international 
trafficking ring and another 62 persons accused of 
facilitating vice and prostitution.  Three women (out of 45 
detained) were identified as trafficking victims.  One NGO 
director lauded police efforts for involving three different 
NGOs, but questioned some procedures that might have limited 
identification of more victims and said they prefer to see 
convictions and sentences before calling this a victory 
against trafficking.  END SUMMARY. 
 
MAJOR COORDINATED OPERATION 
--------------------------- 
 
¶2. (U) In a series of 34 coordinated raids on July 7-8, Greek 
police concluded a two-month investigation into an 
international trafficking ring headquartered in Athens.  The 
investigation, according to press reports, resulted from 
information provided to Greek authorities by the Ukrainian 
police identifying a man who brought two women from Ukraine 
to Greece where he forced them to work as prostitutes. 
 
¶3. (U) The raids, carried out in bars, striptease clubs and 
private apartments, netted 11 suspected members of the ring, 
eight men and three women from Greece, Moldova, Kazakhstan 
and Ukraine.  Also arrested were an additional 62 suspects 
from Greece, Albania, Poland, Armenia, Romania, Czech 
Republic, Nigeria and Venezuela, who will be charged with 
facilitating vice in others and prostitution.  Through 
cooperation with Interpol and Europol, another two persons 
were arrested in Ukraine.  Police are continuing to search 
for an additional seven suspects. 
 
¶4. (SBU) In addition to the arrests, Police also uncovered a 
telephone center operating out of an Athens suburban 
apartment, equipped with 36 telephone lines where police 
allege that 12 women per shift arranged appointments for 
sexual services with clients.  Business was so brisk that the 
onset of the arrests was delayed when an undercover police 
officer posing as a customer had to wait several hours before 
the first available prostitute could reach him. 
 
NEW LEVEL OF INVOLVEMENT FOR NGOs 
---------------------------------- 
 
¶5. (SBU) In a new effort to aid in the identification of 
trafficking victims, Police for the first time, involved 
three different NGOs in the operational phase of the 
investigation.  According to one NGO leader, police notified 
them 24 hours in advance and invited the groups to be present 
at the anti-trafficking police headquarters once the raids 
began.  The three NGOs were KLIMAKA, which runs a women's 
shelter, Praxis, a medical NGO, and the Greek Council of 
Refugees, an NGO that represents trafficking victims in court. 
 
¶6. (SBU) Eva Roussos (please protect) director of the shelter 
operated by the NGO KLIMAKA said she observed a total of 45 
women brought in by police during the course of the night 
raids, beginning at four-hirty a.m. and concluding the next 
day at sixp.m.  She lamented the fact that NGOs were only 
able to speak with ten of the women in an effort to identify 
trafficking victims.  Roussos believed that most of the other 
35 women were likely not/not trafficking victims, "but one or 
two of them may have been, and may have spoken to us if given 
the chance."  Roussos also noted with displeasure that the 45 
women were all held together in the same holding area (a 
corridor) with the men who were also under arrest.  She 
praised officers, however, for taking the initiative to 
invite the NGOs to the police station in advance of the 
arrests.  In meeting with the women, Roussos said she was 
struck by the fact that all told the exact same story: "I 
knew I was coming to Greece for prostitution. I came on my 
own.  I bought my false passport (or visa) on my own.  I 
don't want to stop working as a prostitute." 
 
¶7. (SBU) Roussos saw the event mainly as an important lesson 
for all parties involved.  KLIMAKA trains police officers to 
 
ATHENS 00001416  002 OF 002 
 
 
identify trafficking victims and Roussos said that being at 
the police station during the raids helped her to understand 
better what difficulties the officers face.  Likewise, she 
learned things that she would do differently in the future, 
including having more translators available in advance.  But 
Roussos' enthusiasm was tempered with concern about calling 
this a major trafficking victory.  "I saw this group as more 
of a prostitution group than a trafficking group," she 
explained and added that "we still need to see convictions. 
If they are out in two months or two years, I won't call it a 
success." 
 
COMMENT 
------- 
 
¶8. (SBU) Despite the less than ideal implementation of the 
victim screening at the Police station, the early and 
extensive involvement of NGOs in the investigation is a new 
and encouraging step and may signal GoG willingness to begin 
to think and act in new ways to step up victim 
identification.  We have urged GoG officials to work more 
closely with NGOs on victim identification; NGO involvement 
in this case is a positive step forward. 
COUNTRYMAN