Lasithi police arrest 3 taxi drivers in Crete sting

Three taxi drivers were arrested in Crete on Monday after undercover Greek police officers in Lasithi posed as English-speaking tourists in Elounda and Kalo Chorio. The drivers, aged 25, 47 and 48, are scheduled to explain their pricing to the local prosecutor.

The operation moved across both towns before the arrests. According to the account of the sting, the drivers allegedly demanded inflated amounts when they reached the destination, including an extra ten euros, after telling the officers, “No, I think it costs more.”

Elounda and Kalo Chorio

An official close to the investigation called the operation “a flawless execution.” The same official described the arrest as a trap set after the officers posed as tourists, adding: “The drivers expected a submissive nod and some crumpled euros. Instead, they got a one-way trip to the prosecutor’s office. They never saw the handcuffs coming beneath the beach towels.”

The drivers were identified as independent taxi drivers in Lasithi. Authorities said they did not tamper with the meter, which leaves the dispute on the fare claimed at the destination rather than on the meter itself.

Lasithi prosecutor

The three men now face the local prosecutor after the Monday sting. The case comes after similar arrests recently in Chania over a double tariff trick, a separate episode that puts the Lasithi arrests in a wider pattern of fare disputes on Crete.

For passengers, the practical point is simple: the case centers on the amount asked at the end of the ride, not a broken meter or a street-side stop. The prosecutor’s office now has the drivers and the officers’ account of what happened in Elounda and Kalo Chorio.