Greek ex-con and crime boss Stefanakos murdered in mafia-style execution

 by Aggelos Skordas

Notorious crime boss and former long-time convict Vassilis Stefanakos was murdered in a mafia-style execution in Athinon Avenue at Athens’ western suburb of Haidari on Wednesday evening. The 57-year-old victim was ambushed by unknown assailants and gunned down with no less than 29 bullets shot from a Kalashnikov rifle (carried in a guitar case) while entering his armored BMW. Police officials, forensics and detectives who arrived on the scene believe that the execution was carried out by a duo or a group of three men: The hitman, a driver and a lookout. Furthermore, they assume that the hit was a contract killing carried out by career assassins.

Specifically, the assailants ambushed Stefanakos outside his place of business on the first floor of a commercial building and appear to have followed a sophisticated plan orchestrated to the last detail since the victim was not considered an easy target, rarely moving without a bodyguard escort. The perpetrators approached the victim with a stolen motorbike and sprayed him from a short distance before accelerating and fleeing the scene before Stefanakos bodyguards could intervene. The motorcycle used for the hit had been stolen from the Athens eastern suburb of Ilioupoli on early December 2017. It is likely that the victim’s moves were monitored by an accomplice, possibly from a nearby building.

Minutes after the incident police cordoned the scene off collecting evidence that could lead to the assailants’ identity while looking for any CCTV footage from nearby cameras in hopes their images have been captured. The motives for the killing are not yet clear but police noted that the victim had differences with many people in the underworld.

Stefanakos was released from prison in August 2016. He had been sentenced to 21 years (from which he only served eight in accordance with an early release law) and three months in prison for his involvement in a murder committed by his Albanian accomplice Alket Rizai in 2006. In 2009 he assisted the escape of Rizai and fellow convict Vassilis Palaiocostas from Korydallos Prison. In addition, he received a 14-year sentence for his involvement in other criminal activities, while it is believed that he had ties with convicted members of “Conspiracy of the Cells of Fire” urban guerilla group.