Police in southern Greece break up protection racket
A joint police operation in Athens, Piraeus and Corinth led to the arrest on Friday of 17 people suspected of running a protection racket that extorted money from at least 22 businesses in various parts of the country.
The gang is believed to have been led by two Greeks, aged 44 and 54.
The gang is also thought to be behind the brutal beating in April last year of a shop manager who refused to pay the 300 euros per week the gang was demanding in the coastal Athenian suburb of Glyfada.
