The Uncatchable Outlaw: Greece’s Helicopter-Riding Robin Hood

Summary

The Underworld Podcast

Episode: The Uncatchable Outlaw: Greece’s Helicopter-Riding Robin Hood

Hosts: Sean Williams, Danny Gold
Date: May 5, 2026

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Overview

This episode dives into the myth, reality, and ongoing legend of Vasilis Paleokostas—Greece’s most notorious bandit, popularly dubbed the "Greek Robin Hood" for his daring heists, repeated helicopter prison escapes, and his alleged generosity to the poor. Journalists Sean Williams and Danny Gold use rich storytelling and humor to discuss how the Paleokostas brothers came to represent Greece’s modern outlaw spirit, blending history, crime, and contemporary mythmaking.

“This guy walks the walk when it comes to the Robin Hood stuff.”
— Sean Williams (21:18)

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Helicopter Prison Break that Shook Greece

[01:31–06:04]

• Sean opens with a cinematic recounting of the 2006 Corydallos prison break, where Vasilis’ brother Nikos hijacked a helicopter and successfully springed Vasilis and an Albanian cellmate from Greece’s most secure penitentiary.
• The operation thrilled the nation and police alike, burning Paleokostas’ legend into Greek lore.

“Vasilis Paleokostas is the Greek Robin Hood and his life of marauding mayhem is far from over.”
— Sean Williams (05:28)

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2. Roots in Greek Banditry Tradition & Early Life

[09:34–13:13]

• Vasilis grew up in impoverished, mountainous Thessaly, idolizing both his big brother and the regional legends of highwaymen (clefts—roots of ‘kleptocracy’).
• Greek history of bandit-heroes and social banditry is foregrounded, drawing direct parallels to Vasilis’ image.

“Northern Greece has a long proud history of banditry…these guys are where we get the words kleptomaniac and kleptocracy from.”
— Sean Williams (11:13)

• Young Vasilis develops a resentment for capitalist exploitation, leading him from factory work to crime with his brother Nikos.

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3. The Artist, the Outlaws, and the Local Hero Myth

[17:37–21:09]

• The brothers meet Costa Samaras, “The Artist,” who teaches them higher-level criminal skills, including lockpicking and hot-wiring cars.
• Their early capers, like the Kalambaka heist (where money is literally thrown from a getaway car to slow the cops) cement their image as social bandits.

“This is like…Elmer Fudd and Bugs Bunny, right? Gravinus grows obsessed with the trio…But the thing that makes Vasilis in particular impossible to catch is that he spreads his loot among the poor.”
— Sean Williams (20:11)

• The "ethical robbery" code is introduced: never harming innocents, often returning stolen property with apologies, and giving to those in need.

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4. Robin Hood or PR Trick?

[10:52–11:07 | Discussion Throughout]

• The hosts interrogate the “Robin Hood” image: Sean notes that many organized crime figures use community largesse as cover, but Vasilis’s acts are described as unusually sincere and frequent.
• Examples abound: organizing shoe donations to prison inmates, giving cash to poor families and orphans, and shunning luxury for a life on the run.

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5. Legendary Heists & Political Kidnappings

Kalambaka Bank Robbery
[26:51–29:50]

• 1992: the Paleokostas brothers and Samaras pull off Greece’s largest bank robbery in Kalambaka, outwitting police through ingenuity and community support.
• The loot: 125 million drachma (approx. US$500,000). Vasilis even returns the stolen getaway car with money tucked under the mat for the owner.

The Kidnapping of Halva Magnate Hatalou
[29:51–37:15]

• 1995: They target food billionaire Alexander Hatalou, who ends up describing his ordeal as “not bad at all.”
• Ransom is paid, oligarchs are mocked, and soon money turns up among the region’s poorest, reinforcing Vasilis’s reputation.

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6. Prison, Escapes, and the Unbreakable Legend

[37:16–54:09]

• Vasilis orchestrates numerous escapes: bedsheet rope escapes, lock picks disguised as crucifixes, and, most famously, the 2006 (and later 2009) helicopter prison breaks from Corydallos.
• In 2009, a “James Bond-style” breakout with the help of a smuggled phone-watch and another pilot ends in gunfire, yet Vasilis and his Albanian comrade escape into the mountains again.

“Both convicts make it onto the bird and the pilot pulls away…Inmates are cheering and yelling.”
— Sean Williams (54:00)

• Greek authorities, press, and even the CIA (Greek anti-terror units) are drawn into a high-stakes, sometimes farcical, pursuit.
• Despite escapes, Vasilis is never accused of violence against civilians and only rarely directly at police—he prefers outsmarting rather than killing.

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7. The Billionaire Kidnapping and Final Days in the Wind

[42:13–49:21]

• 2008: During the worst of the financial crisis, Paleokostas kidnaps industrialist George Milonas, extracting a $19m ransom. Again, Milonas describes decent treatment during his captivity.
• Vasilis is ultimately tracked down via conspicuous spending by an inexperienced accomplice, arrested while watching crime movies—and escapes again a year later.

“He doesn’t really have the problem of spending it right because he doesn’t really spend the money that much.”
— Sean Williams (47:51)

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8. Mythmaking, Contested Legacy, and Unresolved Questions

[58:24–end]

• Is Vasilis Paleokostas truly a modern Robin Hood or just a talented crook with good PR? The hosts weigh the evidence, ultimately leaning towards legitimacy in his legendary status, despite embellishments.
• Greek society remains divided: some revere him as “The Uncatchable” and “King of the Mountains”; others see him as just another outlaw.
• As of recording, Vasilis remains at large, having avoided capture for over a decade.

“Is he though a Robin Hood or is he just a talented crook? I guess, like all of these characters, it depends on your point of view, your politics. I mean, guys like this are always a bit of a Rorschach test, right?”
— Sean Williams (58:57)

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “There is a difference between a criminal and an outlaw.” — Vasilis Paleokostas, autobiography (22:00)
• “They ate a 260 million drachma halva!” — Greek news headline after Hatalou’s ransom payment (34:55)
• “He would say to a farmer: ‘Kill a pig for me to eat,’ and instead of paying 10 drachmas, he would leave a thousand.” — As recounted by a local cop (21:13)
• “He started to believe this Robin Hood myth.” — Corydallos prison warden (40:56)
• “This is the most convincing one we’ve had yet.” — Sean Williams (61:05)

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Important Timestamps

• 01:31 – Recounting the helicopter prison break
• 10:33 – Banditry tradition and the clefts
• 14:25 – Vasilis’s turn against capitalism, mythmaking shaped by movies
• 20:11 – Ethical robbery and Robin Hood comparisons
• 26:51 – The Kalambaka heist
• 29:51 – The Hatalou kidnapping and lessons about corruption
• 37:16 – Vasilis’s arrest after car accident
• 39:22 – Life and psychology inside prison, soon-to-be escape
• 42:13 – Milonas kidnapping, crisis context
• 54:09 – 2009 helicopter escape, gunfight, and fallout
• 58:24 – Is the legend real, and what does he mean for Greece?

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Tone and Style

• Conversational, irreverent, and deeply researched—with elements of gallows humor and cultural asides.
• Frequent references to pop culture, organized crime lore, and journalistic skepticism.
• Mixes gritty crime details with playful banter.

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Summary

Vasilis Paleokostas emerges as a modern outlaw whose repeated, audacious prison breaks, anti-oligarch capers, and alleged generosity to the Greek underclass have made him a folk hero for some and a wanted terrorist for others. Through vivid storytelling, historic context, and skeptical inquiry, Sean Williams and Danny Gold turn the Paleokostas saga into a whirlwind tour of Balkan bandit culture, Greek crisis politics, and the enduring allure of folk antiheroes.

Listeners are left asking: Is Robin Hood real, or did Greece just wish him into existence? And either way—how the hell has Vasilis Paleokostas never been caught?

Transcript

[Sean Williams]

Mom, can you tell me a story?

[Danny Gold]

Sure. Once upon a time, a mom needed a new car.

[Sean Williams]

Was she brave?

[Danny Gold]

She was tired mostly. But she went to Carvana.com and found a great car at a great price. No secret treasure map required.

[Sean Williams]

Did you have to fight a dragon?

[Danny Gold]

Nope. She bought it 100% online from her bed, actually.

[Sean Williams]

Was it scary?

[Danny Gold]

Honey, it was as unscary as car buying could be.

[Sean Williams]

Did the car have a sunroof?

[Danny Gold]

It did, actually. Okay, good story. Car buying. You'll want to tell stories about. Buy your car today on Carvana. Delivery fees may apply.

[Karina B.]

The the jurors sat in a dark room, hands resting on a Ouija board. They weren't guessing. They were asking the victim who killed them. Sounds unbelievable, right? But it happened. And that's just one of thousands of stories waiting for you on Morning cup of Murder. Hi, I'm Karina B. Mr. Fur and every single day on Morning cup of Murder, I bring you a real chilling true crime story connected to that exact day in history. From Killer Cannibal Brothers to the the Boy Scout who was obsessed with the occult and the strange story of the bloody hammer in the frozen cabin, these aren't the cases you've heard a hundred times. They're the ones that make you stop and think. How have I never heard this before? With over 2,500 episodes and a brand new story each and every single day, Morning cup of Murder becomes part of your routine fast. If you like your coffee hot but your bones chilled, then sit back and start your day with a Morning cup of Murder. Go listen to Morning cup of Murder wherever you get your podcasts. And remember, stay safe.

[Sean Williams]

June 4, 2006 6:15pm Athens, Greece. A pilot surnamed Caracas is firing up the rotors of his white twin engine helicopter for a trip over the rooftops of the ancient city. Caracas, used to fly for the Greek military, knows his stuff, but nothing has trained him for the chaos that will erupt barely five minutes into this early evening journey. Caricas, his eyes on the skies, feels something cold and hard pressed against his neck. It's the barrel of a pistol. Holding it is a shortish man, wide shoulders, with a head of shave, balding hair and a cold metallic stare. Sightseeing's over, the passenger tells Caricus. I'm Nikos Paleokostas and you're going to spring my brother out of prison. Caracas doesn't flinch. He breaks calls and moments later the chopper is closing in on Corydallos prison. Greece is Alcatraz, a maximum security joint home to murderers, terrorists, war criminals and for almost six years, Vassilis Palaeokostas. Nikos brother bank robbery extraordinaire. Criminal mastermind. A rugged boy from Thessaly in Greece's mountainous north, who steals from the rich, they say on the streets, to give to the poor. Public enemy number one. A man who, if Caracas does his job right, is about to be set free. Nikos Paliokostas keeps his gun trained on the helicopter's pilot. He'd pondered hiring his own man for the job, but he reckoned a scared helmsman would be easier to manipulate. He's right. Caracas slows the helicopter as he approaches the prison and then touches down in its courtyard, kicking up great plumes of dust into the air. At first, prison guards assume they were getting a VIP visit. A politician perhaps, or a local celebrity. But as the chopper's wheels hit the deck, Caracas cries out, they've got grenades. They've got explosives. The guards draw their weapons, but it's too late. Vasilis Paliokostas and his cellmate, a spry 31 year old Albanian, sprint towards the helicopter and haul themselves on board. Caricus, the gun still at his throat, pulls up. The guards take aim. But Corydalla sits on a residential street surrounded by homes, orange trees and kids playing soccer. A single stray bullet could turn a prison break into a bloodbath. All the guards can do is watch the country's most notorious criminal take a hop and a skip into the cobalt sundown sky. A few minutes later, the chopper touches down in a sleepy village north of Athens. We made it, says Vasilis, hugging his big brother. Nambasilis turns to Catechis and hands him a string of worry beads. Take these, he tells the pilot. I don't need them anymore. Then he, Nikos and the Albanian hop on a pair of pre pilfered motorcycles and ride away on the long road north to Thessaly. Far, far from Athens and the corrupt politicians. These outlaws have vowed to embarrass and embarrass them. The Paleocaustuses most certainly have the most incredible thing. This isn't even the first time Vasilis has been sprung from prison. And it won't be the last. In fact, it won't even be the final time. He evades justice in the passenger seat of a helicopter. All in a day's work for a man whose legend has by this point rung out far beyond the Balkan mountains of his birth, beyond even Athens and the cops and political leaders who vowed to bring him down. A man who's Topsy Turvy and Seesaw Life movie producers are already eyeing with greed and who most of his Greek compatriots know by a nickname. Capers like today's have done little to dispel. Vasilis Palaeokostas is the Greek Robin Hood and his life of marauding mayhem is far from over. Welcome to the Underworld Podcast. Hello and welcome to the weekly crime podcast that strives for sources and objective storytelling even while those around us speculate and fling conspiratorial mud at the wall and get way more popular. I am Sean Williams, a by no means cynical reporter based in Buenos Aires, Argentina, and I'm joined today by Danny Gold, New York's least cynical man. Someone pulling me close to the ground, Danny. You know, I mean, although in my case it's just industrial quantities of steak and ice cream.

[Danny Gold]

Yeah, I've been making Sean watch a 90s New York gangster flicks, crime flicks, and it appears he finally watched Carlito's Way. So well done on that. Please keep quoting it. And now you got to listen to Reasonable Doubt and watch King of New

[Sean Williams]

York and we'll be hey, you know there's a level there are upsides to a 10 hour overnight bus in Bolivia and watching Al Pacino do singers. One of them anyway. Some housekeeping we post now. We're up on all the socials. Find us there. Give us a follow Bonus shows [e-mail] the Underworld podcast tips, story ideas, corrections to the Underworld podcast gmail.com and check out our merch underworldpod.com who knows, you might even look as cool as one of us too. Or my dog who's joining us for today's record. If you follow us online, you will have seen me doing my best impression of an influencer around Bolivia. Rose just on a couple of assignments, one of which is going to be coming up here very soon. Great to get a message from Facebook, by the way, telling a middle aged magazine writer to post, quote, more 33 to 45 second videos. Yeah, please read books, but also watch our shorts.

[Danny Gold]

Yeah, Sean was posting those on the, on the Facebook. We don't have anything coordinated so I didn't put it on the Instagram or the person does our YouTube didn't put it on that. But yeah, we do it and it's demeaning. But you know, that's, that's what it is, right? We need to, we need to do this. Speaking of demeaning, should we capitalize on some, some streamer nonsense? Sean, I feel like we. We maybe should. Sean's favorite guru, Clavicular. Is that clav?

[Sean Williams]

Clav.

[Danny Gold]

Clavicular.

[Sean Williams]

Clavicular. Yeah.

[Danny Gold]

I've actually never heard someone say it out loud. Is apparently hanging out with a member of the aboriginal family, which, if you listen to our Israeli Mafia episode, is a Moroccan. Israeli organized crime group. That gets around. I actually spoke with friend of the pod, Ben Hartman, who said he was our guest on. On that episode, who said that this particular guy had a falling out with the average eels and was threatened and extorted by them. That hasn't stopped him from threatening and extorting people in America. Allegedly, I think maybe guilty, maybe allegedly. I don't. I didn't look too much into it, but he's such a dynamo, I guess, that Israel's version of Saiyan Alive had a character based on him specifically that was like, just, you know, shiny shirt wearing, like, really flamboyant, just like, out there in the public eye sort of guy. But, yeah, excited to see how that. How that transpires and what happens to Clavicular.

[Sean Williams]

Yeah, I thought he was kind of circling the sinkhole that a lot of guys in that world kind of circle, but, yeah, maybe he's not if he's with an Israeli organized criminal figure, but Moroccan.

[Danny Gold]

Israeli, very progressive.

[Sean Williams]

Okay, okay. Yeah, he actually took a lot of his notes from my chin, which you can't see right now, but I've been chewing a lot of gum in anxiety. Anyway, now to Greece, which is a phrase I said a lot in my 20s. Most nailed on great holiday destination in the world. Rode a garbage truck at 5am when Greece won the 2004 Euros. Goes without saying, that was a pretty good night. And if you like Greece, boy, is this episode Greek. We got tahini magnate, kidnappings, anarchist gorillas. I'm sure at some point there's like a guy sitting on a chair smoking a roll up, telling folks the dog's gonna take a few days. What I'm saying is I'm a little bit tired of Nazis and mass murder in the world going to the dogs. So we need a caper, and I promise you, you're about to get one.

[Danny Gold]

Yeah, I really like the. The tiny fried fish they have over there. My favorite, you know.

[Sean Williams]

Oh, tiny fried fish. If only the tiny fried fish guys and the tiny fried pepper guys could get together. I. I guess that basically is Italy, though. But anyway, today's episode, it does not bring in. In the grease of the tiny fried fishes that you might know from your holidays on the islands of Ionia, or among the ancient ruins of Attica. Our story kicks off in Thessaly, northern Greece in the Balkans, where forested mountains meet the borders. Albania. Macedonia. Sorry, North Macedonia. That will come up again. And Bulgaria. And it is here, in the tiny farming village of Moscafito in 1966, that a boy is born who will become the Greek Robin Hood. Yes, that's right, boys and girls. Robin Hood is finally getting the gritty a24 treatment. You gotta do the goofy men in tights Hollywood version before you get the 4k tormented antihero Hugh Jackman remake. So the clock's ticking on Mighty supreme, starring Tom Hardy.

[Danny Gold]

Did you just put in, like, something about make cultural references into, like, slop AI and get this sentence out?

[Sean Williams]

I mean, how else do you think I make any cultural references past, like, 2008? Yeah, quick pub quiz before we move on. How many episodes of this show do you think we've said the phrase Robin Hood? Danny?

[Danny Gold]

47.

[Sean Williams]

Okay. Okay. Well, that's unfortunate that you went over the top. It's 28, which is. Yeah, it's way fewer than I thought, too, but it's still one of the most overused Hackney cliches in organized crime, which is why you're listening to this show right now. Escobar building schools. The Yakuza building schools. The Triads building. Yeah, schools. 99% of the time. It's a cheap PR trick to get the pros on side while you build a violent empire of crime. And it works sometimes. But today's protagonist, Vasilis Paleo Costas, might just be the closest thing we've covered to an actual Robin Hood figure. Or is he? Let's find out. I feel like that's the Arrested Development thing. It hasn't worked ever. At all. But it could work for us. First, big shout out to two sources. The first is a BBC featured by a friend of mine, Jeff Mason, 2010. The other is a 2023 podcast series called the Good Thief. Plus, of course, plenty of local Greek stories and Parts of a 2021 autobiography by Vassalus Palaeokostas himself called A Normal Life, which, as you'd have guessed from the cold open alone, it's a joke. It's a funny Greek joke. So, like I said, mos gephito. This little place is hardly the most happening of Greek mountain villages. The Palaeokostas brood, and there are five of them. They grow up poor and literally shoeless. From a young age, Vasilis idolizes his big brother, Nikos. When it snows, hard. Nikos picks his little brother up and hauls him for miles and is back to school, where the priest thaws Vasilis out in front of a stove before classes begin. The young boy quote, may have been a thief, but never a criminal, the priest later says, and this distinction is important. Northern Greece has a long proud history of banditry going back hundreds of years. In the 15th century the region was famous for its so called clefts, highwaymen and anti Ottoman insurgents. At a time when Thessaly was ruled from Constantinople, which is modern day Istanbul. As you'll know from the song, these guys are where we get the words kleptomaniac and kleptocracy from. And they're credited with winning Greek independence in 1832. The most famous cleft of them all is Antonis Katsandonis, an 18th century rebel from a town not far from most Defito captured and executed in public with a sledgehammer.

[Danny Gold]

Jesus, they really liked to send a message back then, didn't they?

[Sean Williams]

They did. Just like the Wagner group. Yeah. Pretty nuts, eh? Kat Sandonis is a Greek martyr, a national hero. So it's little wonder modern day mountain folks see the Paleokostas brothers as incarnations of him, freedom fighters, even if the full picture isn't quite so clear. In 1979, Nikos and Vasilis father bags a job selling lottery tickets and moves the family 50 miles away to Trikala, one of Thessaly's biggest cities. It's hardly Athens this place, but neither are the boys lugging wood barefoot to a mountain cabin. Nikos, 19 at this point heads off to the coast to find works on the docks. Meanwhile, Vasilis, 13, quieter and introverted, gets a job at a local cheese factory. It's at this factory, standing on the production line day after day, that the boy develops a deep resentment for capitalism. And Greece is rich and powerful, their stock rising while regular citizens wages stagnate. One afternoon Vasilis walks out of the factory and never returns, says a friend, quote, Vasilis suffered his boss's capitalist exploitation working as a wage slave in a factory. So he turned against those bosses.

[Danny Gold]

You know, I just, I don't agree. Guy working hard. This, this whole thing sounds embellished.

[Sean Williams]

And that is just the first of many references in this episode. Life in Trikala offers his vassalis access not just to shoes, but to movies. And he grows obsessed with American titles. Rocky, Conan, Escape from Alcatraz, where the little guy comes good against a powerful oppressor.

[Danny Gold]

What is best in life Sean.

[Sean Williams]

Oh. Oh, no, that's a, that's a film reference, isn't it? And I haven't got it.

[Danny Gold]

Conan, dude, you never see. Oh, you probably know. It's fine.

[Sean Williams]

I've never seen Conan. Okay. Conan's on the list.

[Danny Gold]

Conan is an insane move. Like you can tell how much cocaine people did in the 80s by watching a movie like Conan or even, you know, throwing the others weird science, whatever you want to, you want to talk about. But Conan is definitely like, I think it's the 80s. It might have been the 70s, but either way, the people who made Conan were on so much cocaine. And it is a great watch.

[Sean Williams]

Okay. Is it acceptable for a child? Because I am parenting, so weekend. So maybe no.

[Danny Gold]

Did I tell you I, I, I wanted my, I, my nephew when we were away over spring break, I wanted to, I was like trying to get him to do, you know, he's like turning 11. I was like, all right, we're gonna watch your first rated, your first rated R movie. And I chose the town and not a good idea. Rated R for a reason. Definitely not a good movie for 10 year old going on 11 and also sex scenes in the beginning. That was uncomfortable.

[Sean Williams]

Yeah, okay, that was a bad choice. I remember like the age of 10 movie though. Halloween at some like the hot girl in our classes house. I'm asleep over. I got really scared, hid in the toilet and I think I might have peed my pants as well when I was 10 years old. So, yeah. Anyway, there's a bit of a, there's a bit of myth making.

[Danny Gold]

More Laura. More Laura.

[Sean Williams]

Oh. Oh, dear. Oh, dear me. Yeah, I didn't get to kiss her on the lips or the cheek or anything after that. Anyway, before long. Oh yeah, this Greek episode, right. Before long, the two paleocostus brothers, they don't pee their pants actually, but they do embark on a spree of small time thefts, mostly of then prized video recorders across Tricola and the surrounding area between 1979 and 1986. The Palaeo Costas brothers are allegedly responsible for 27 such crimes. But they're just small time crooks. Small fish in a pretty small pond. That is until one night at a tricolor pool club. I mean, pool, billiards, not the kinds of spots Danny thinks I spent my weekends out in Berlin. Nikos strikes up a conversation with a guy named Costa Samaras, AKA the Artist.

[Danny Gold]

Speaking of jokes about what you do the steps on one. I've never, we've never gotten as many responses about people just so thrilled about. I mean, I learned a lot about our audience. Filthy, filthy. Our listeners. But yeah, never got in. I think more responses about that particular comment than responses about other stuff combined for that episode. It was a good episode.

[Sean Williams]

I was truly, truly confused about this whole thing.

[Danny Gold]

Let's move on.

[Sean Williams]

I'm now being laughed with or laughed at. Yeah, okay. All right. Anyway. As a young boy, Samaras's family had always been on the move. And this is one of the reasons he ends up a different breed of criminal, right? Samaras would disappear into his own world with art. He studied design at college, dabbled in cubist painting and played drums in a band. So nickname is well earned. But that's not the only reason for the name Samras enjoys. I mean, he really, really loves stealing stuff. At first, he deals in stolen books and LPs, inventing a compartment to conceal vinyl in his jacket. Samaras paints by day, jams with his bandmates by night, and slinks off to carry out some wee hours break ins. When cops inevitably catch up with him. Samaras employs his skills behind bars. At one point, says a prison warden, quote, I remember once he made some wooden pistols in woodwork class to try to escape. They were so real you could load them batteries. The artist took the plastic covers off two batteries and loaded them in the chambers. When poked in a guard's face, they would look just like two bullets. Samaras even breaks out of prison one time by cutting a hole and hiding in a sewer, Andy Dufresne style. On another occasion, he chisels a hole in a prison truck and then tucks and rolls while it's moving. I'm just gonna say, if you do do woodworking class in prison, you could probably notice the guy who's whittling a pistol, right? Like when I went to church club when I was a kid and basically all we did was we were supposed to make crucifixes, but we just made them into swords and smashed the shit out of each other. Was that. Was that something that people did? I don't know. It was just my cool upbringing. Oh, God, we really are getting into some sad shit in this episode. Anyway, Samaras is several cuts across the Paleocostus brothers and their petty escapades. Nonetheless, when he spots Nikos at the pool bar, Samurai senses an outlaw spirit in the young man. Nikos introduces Samaras to Vasilis, and Samaras teaches the brothers how to pick locks and hot wire cars. Sometime in the late 1980s, the trio pull off their first major heist in Tricola. Vasilis climbs to the top of the hill and fires a rifle that starts cops at a nearby station out of their desks. But the brothers have placed a huge industrial oven over the station door. By the time the cops have busted it out of the way, the brothers are making off with a ton of jewelry from a neighboring store. Says Demetrios Gravanis, Tricolor's top plainclothes cop quote, when we finally got to our cars, they had left spikes in the road that punctured our tires. From that moment, it became my ambition to see those boys in jail. This is like so much of this episode is basically Elmer Fudd and Bugs Bunny, right? Grifanis grows obsessed with the trio of Samaris and the Palaeokostas brothers. I would work long nights on the case, and when I got home at 7:30am My wife was just going to work. But the thing that makes Vasilis in particular impossible to catch is that he spreads his loot among the poor. As Gravanis quote, he would say to a farmer, kill a pig for me to eat. And Instead of paying 10 drachmas, he would leave a thousand. I mean, you tell me what a thousand drachma is in the 1980s. Point is, this guy walks the walk when it comes to the Robin Hood stuff. There are countless stories of him dishing out cash to the poor or doing strangely chivalrous things like stealing cars, then returning them with sorry notes, which I guess it's best not to steal the car in the first place. But between this and the daring heists and escapes that rattle all the way through the 1980s, the Paleo Costas brothers craft this image of gentlemen burglars rather than common criminals, believing in something they call the quote, ethical robbery, Writes Vasilius in his biography quote, between the crocodile and the eagle lies the abyss. Yeah, like strap in predators. Yet no song has ever been written about a crocodile. It is a matter of ascetics and grace. How can a poet be inspired by a carnivore that lies in murky waters waiting for its prey? And as he adds, there is a difference between a criminal and an outlaw. See, they're taking on the legend of Antonis Katsandonis, basically. And they've got impeccable timing. See, Greece joins the European Union in 1981 and goes for a long period of inflation and job losses. All the while, its richest oligarchs are continuing to get wildly rich, especially those in the food and logistics Businesses.

[Danny Gold]

It's gotta be shipping, right? I feel like there's thousands of Greek shipping billionaires out there.

[Sean Williams]

There are, yeah. And one of them's gonna come rebounding back into this show a bit further down. But yeah, as you can imagine, with a country full of islands, the shipping stuff is massive. Piraeus, the ath, I think it's one of the biggest in the world, or maybe I'm getting that wrong, but it's a huge place. Really cool to go on a night out as well. Anyway, the country even has its own version of the Baler meinhof gang, the 17th of November organization. These are Marxist guerrillas running around Greece, bombing and murdering cops, corporate fat cats, and American military staff. Amid all of this mayhem, regular Greeks see their lives get materially worse. And despite the attempts of 17th of November, the rich get away with all kinds of corruption and political shenanigans. People are desperate for stories like the Paleocaustuses to show that there are at least tiny slithers of what you might call justice in the world. Says one former associate. Quote, criminals snatch purses from old ladies. Vasilis was on a different level. He is a socially accepted bandit and a hero. For a while, the brothers go untouched. But in 1989, cops arrest Nikos. Vasilis visits his older brother behind bars, who tells him to reach out to Samaras. The trio hatch an escape plan. And not just any old escape plan. Vasilis will steal a tank. Yes, a tank. And drive it right through the walls of his brother's cell in Larissa, which is the biggest city in Thessaly. However, cops discover the plot in April 1990. They arrest Vassalis too.

[Danny Gold]

You can't just drive a tank, though. I mean, you can maybe learn off YouTube these days, but it's not easy. It's like a challenging thing to do, I would assume.

[Sean Williams]

Yeah, this time in world history. I think you just got to leave that to Albanians being driven by pyramid schemes. But, yeah, Albanians too, are going to play a role in this show.

[Danny Gold]

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[Sean Williams]

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[Danny Gold]

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[Danny Gold]

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[Sean Williams]

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[Danny Gold]

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[Sean Williams]

a cherry on top of his case, the cops slap a ton of robbery charges on Vasilis that he knows he never did, and actually he's confident he can beat the case in court. But this is not a guy happy to win or lose his freedom on book smarts, writes Vasilis. In a normal life quote I had a sacred duty to follow my personal instinct concerning my own Freedom, which was the cornerstone of my moral and conscientious existence. I wish to remain free. Vassilis spends his pre trial detention in a port city called Chalcedas, not far from Athens. Nine months in. In January 1991, he carries out the most cliched jailbreak possible. The stringing a bunch of bed sheets end to end and uses them to scale the walls. Nikos manages his own escape and the brothers continue on their merry way. I mean, this whole episode is not a very good advertisement for for the Greek legal system. Just as before, the tools police would normally use to capture serial robbers, to catch them, spending lavishly for example, or renting out seafront apartments, they do not apply. The Paleo Costas live frugally, hopping from bedsit to bedsit, paying off poor locals and using fancy cars only when getting away from the scene of one of their crimes. By the summer of 1992, the brothers and Samaras are camped out in Meteora, a collection of Orthodox monasteries perched on top of a series of rock pillars. And they've settled on their most daring raid yet, on a bank in the town of Kalambaka, which sits at the foot of Meteora's promontories. Nikos is peering through his binoculars, relaying the layout of the town below to the artist who's making sketches on a scrap of paper. They're keen not only to rob the bank of a ton of money, but to make the Greek police their enemies, look as dumb as possible. By June that year, the trio are ready. They descend Meteora into Kalambaka dressed in suits and sunglasses and armed with automatic weapons. Samara splits off to blockade the cops path to the bank with a stolen truck. Then, as the Palaeokostas brothers stroll into the bank, Vasilis cries out Listia, Greek for stick up. A cashier presses the silent alarm and then opens the safe at gunpoint. Inside is more money than even the brothers had imagined and they offer praises to God as they stuff thousands of notes into their duffel bags. The sirens begin howling as the brothers pack up and leave. But Samaras's truck slows the cops down and before any of them can reach the robbers, the trio speed off in a stolen Audi towards the mountains in which the Palaeo Costa's family had grown up. Before long, the cops are back on their tail. But Vasilis has a trick up his sleeve, or rather in his duffel bag. He grabs fistfuls of drachma and tosses them out of the Audi's window, filling the streets and attracting dozens of town people to grab them like they're in a game show. It's enough to slow the cops down decisively. And the three men disappear. Despite the notes Vasilis has chucked away, they've still made off with 125 million drachma, around half a million US dollars. It remains the most lucrative bank robbery in Greek history to this day. The three men ditch the Audi and hop into a stolen Nissan to make their way through the mountains. Incredibly, Vasilis will later return the vehicle to its owner, polished and with over $600 under the carpet. I mean, I think I'd be pretty pissed with the car being nicked. But still, it says a lot about how the brothers operate. He never said much, says one villager of Vasilis, but he always had a mischievous smile. You'd think the Paleocostases and Samaras would be smiling quite a lot having pulled off this Kalambaka heist. And for a few years, the trio fall off the map. Cards are replacing cash and banks across Greece beef up security in the wake of the robbery. It doesn't make sense to try and rip off another one when everybody's a lot more prepared. So the brothers get into another line of business. Hatalou Brothers is one of Greece's wealthiest food brands. It had begun operation in 1924 as a mom and pop store selling halva, a sweet dessert originating in ancient Persia but popular throughout the Middle east and Balkans. But it soon expanded into tahini jam, Turkish delight and sesame oil. Moving to a headquarters near Thessaloniki, Greece's second city and a three hour drive north from Trikala by 1995. The company's CEO, Alexander Hatalou is a billionaire. And exactly the kind of corporate raiding fat cat the Paleokostas brothers have come to detest. Haitalou is a mover and shaker in conservative politics, drifting seamlessly between the boardroom and parliament. Writes Vasilis in his autobiography. Quote, my future target was financially aiding the conservative Political Spring party and its leader, subsequently Prime Minister Antonis Samaras. They were friends. Every time Samaras traveled to Thessaloniki for some political rally, he would stay over at Haitalou's house. Hatalou himself told us. FYI, Political Spring is a party founded by Antony Samaras when he splits with Greece's centre, right over a single issue. Whether Macedonia should be able to call itself Macedonia.

[Danny Gold]

I mean, this is just classic stuff right here, right? Does the tension date to like a battle in 1367 that no one's ever heard of between two villages no one has also ever heard of.

[Sean Williams]

Yeah, I mean, let's just say that it's like so deep Eurocore vibes. But I mean, yeah, going back, Macedonia is a region of Greece and I mean a really long time, right? Alexander the Great's dad was Philip II of Macedonia. So I think this argument is still going on today. They kind of settled on North Macedonia, right? I don't know. The EU stepped in. It's a bunch of. It's basically a bunch of Southern Europeans screaming at each other over a name. Anyway, this party is ultra nationalist, populist pot stirring, kind of Farage or Vucic adjacent perhaps, although we'll probably get plenty of comments for that from the Brussels knowers. Anyway, Haitalou is dipping into his deep pockets to fund Samaras right wing running for office and the Pele Costas brothers. They are not Fans on Friday, December 15 that year, Haitalu is making the short drive from his huge Thessaloniki villa to the company's factory when a Toyota RAV4 forces his car off the road. Vasilis and Nikos Paleokostas leap out of the Toyota, grab Haitalou, hood him and throw him into the Toyota with them, and then they speed off through the mountains, Vasilis threatening Haitilu with a rifle if he tries any funny business. But when Hatalou complains he can't breathe beneath his hood, Vasilis removes it. Quote I never showed disdain for the value of human life, yet I found the act of taking a life perfectly legitimate and acceptable under certain circumstances, and with good reason, as when wider freedom was concerned. Because death is the inescapable consequence of life. On the contrary, causing pain by torturing is something horrible, something heinous. I mean, it's a bit confused, but there's a bit more of that Robin Hood mythology. And to be fair, even Hytalou himself admits that. Quote it was a well thought out kidnapping. My kidnapper's behavior was not bad at all. I was not scared for myself. Actually. I enjoyed some wide ranging discussions with the kidnappers. Basilisk calls in a ransom to Haitalu's family, demanding over a million dollars to hand the magnate over. After three days and several rounds of negotiations, the family cough up a bit less, but it's still a huge amount of money. And beyond that, Vasilis claims his conversations with Haitalu teach him a lot about the way corruption works in the murky world of food merchandising. Quote what I remember most vividly from that Free lesson is the blunt blackmail attempted by the owners of large supermarket chains. For a pre packed product with a new label Alexander wished to circulate through a large supermarket chain, he'd have to give its boss large sums of black money just for the product to reach the shelves. That is the kind of source you get on the run as a Greek fugitive. Bias confirmed, Vasilis and Nikos drop Haw off at a site in central Greece. As they do, the CEO jokes to them, quote, guys, if only it didn't cost that much. I'd very much like to have another adventure with you. Greece's media are similarly tickled by the affair. One of them leads with the headline they ate a 260 million drachma halva. Haha, guess something got lost in translation anyway. The Greek state, however, doesn't take the news quite so sanguinely. They slap a bounty on the Paleocaustus brothers heads that's almost as big as the ransom they'd gotten for Haitalou. Calling them, quote, ruthless professionals, practicing organized crime on a scale unprecedented in our country. This is Greece, right? It's Greece with the ports and the drugs. That's Greece anyway. Once again, the brothers are able to fade into obscurity, aided by the people around them. In the wake of the Haitalu kidnapping, wads of cash begin appearing amongst the region's poor, homeless and farmers. It even says that Vasilis gives thousands of dollars to orphan girls who need dowries in order to get married. Here's Samaras the artist. He and his brother would stop the car and hand robbery money to immigrants in the street. As we were driving the getaway car from Kalambaka, we heard on the radio that we left 90 million behind. Vasilis joked, shall we go back? Off goes Robin Hood then, bouncing between mountain villages, giving to the poor, thrilling the Greek public and media, and giving authorities to slip. But you know what they don't get into in all those movies? It can be dull going on the lam, even if your freedom depends on it. No more heists, no more manifestos or headline grabbing crimes. After more than three years as a fugitive, Vasilis gets bored. Sometimes he heads out in disguise, steals a car and goes for a joyride. Sometimes he smokes a joint before he does it. On December 20, 1999, Vasilis is tearing about on the hills when he smashes his car to pieces. As people gather around the stricken vehicle, Vasilis emerges stoned and seemingly disoriented. Don't tell them who I am. He begs one of them who says they'll call an ambulance. I'm Vasilis Paleokostas.

[Danny Gold]

See, I probably wouldn't lead with that if I didn't want people to know who I was.

[Sean Williams]

Yeah, I, I, I tend to agree. I mean, getting into a stolen vehicle. Step one, getting stoned. Step two, smashing the car, Getting out of the car and then telling people what your exact name and surname are. Yeah, that's, that's not great. When the ambulance appears, one of its workers calls the cops. This is quite funny. We've got a man here who must have a head injury. They say he thinks he's the most wanted man in Greece. Keep him there, the cops say. They arrive, they confirm it is actually the guy who is exactly the man whose name they've just heard him say. And they slap him in cuffs. Within months he's in a prison on the island of Corfu, having been sentenced to 25 years for bank robbery and kidnap Paleo. Costas will languish in this prison for some time. But he's not just biding his time, just as he's been as a kid. The inmates at Corfu have to go barefoot. Such are the terrible conditions inside. So Palaeokostas organizes for a job. Lot of shoes to be brought in and delivered to the facility. But that's not all. In May 2003, guards discover a detailed plan of the prison in Vasilis cell and decide to transfer him to Corydallos, the maximum security prison outside Athens that's known, not so fondly as Greece's Alcatraz. When he first arrives, Vasilis has a dust up with a prison warden that ends with guards jumping in and beating him to ribbons. This confirms his belief that prisons merely serve to torture on behalf of the state and by extension to protect the rich from the poor. Vasilis strikes up a friendship with Albanian hitman named Alket Rizai and the pair then become close. The duo then begin a years long game of cat and mouse with Corydallos warden. At one point, the warden discovers that Vasilis can use the gold crucifix on his necklace to pick the locks of his handcuffs. On another day, he uncovers a file hidden inside packs of Vasilis's spaghetti. Vasilis was hell bent on getting out, the warden says.

[Danny Gold]

I mean this is a, this is a movie for sure.

[Sean Williams]

Yeah, but like, is it a serious like frowny movie or is it just.

[Danny Gold]

No, it's a fun, it's a fun caper. I Mean, not Will Ferrell, but it's like a fun caper movie, you know? And that's why Jeff Mace wrote the article, right? Turned this into a movie. That's. He's got the, you know, he knows what he's doing.

[Sean Williams]

He does know what he's doing. He must have got an option for this down to a science.

[Danny Gold]

No one has it down to a science better than him.

[Sean Williams]

Yeah, he really does. We should do a bonus show. And everyone should pay to listen to him speak about this. Anyway, the warden is no shrinking violet when he discovers the file. Rather than taking it, he lets Vasilis work on his cell bars for months, checking in every now and then to see how he's getting on. When Vassalis finally breaks through, the warden tells his men to put away their weapons. Vasilis tiptoes around the corner of the prison yard at night. Like, literally, Tom and Jerry music queued up here. The warden is waiting for him. I want to finish this like men, the warden says before launching into a fight with Vassalis Floodlet in front of the guards. The pair trade blows until the warden gets on top of Vassalis and then throws him back inside his cell. Says the warden later, quote, he used poverty as an excuse to become a criminal. He started to believe this Robin Hood myth.

[Danny Gold]

I mean, dude, that's every prisoner's dream, right? Getting to fistfight the warden and he loses.

[Sean Williams]

That kind of stories.

[Danny Gold]

The. I mean, yeah, it's still like incredible, but it, you know, takes the legend, takes a little bit of. A little bit of a hit right there.

[Sean Williams]

Yeah, but, you know, he's like, he's not odd. That's kind of. That's also sort of cool about this guy. He's just like a normal looking bloke. Anyway, I'm not really sure that this warden, he'd actually read or watched anything about Robin Hood, because who's going to get the last laugh, right? It ain't the Sheriff of Nottingham. On June 4, 2006, Nikos swoops in to break Vasilis and Rizai out of Cory Dallas and his helicopter. The three men escape. I mean, you know this story, right? They ditched the chopper and they dive into the hills of Thessaly. Here is Jeff Maish writing about Demetrios Gravanis, the tricolor cop who'd become obsessed with the brothers over the years. Quote. On a Sunday evening, Tricola police station was always empty. But that night, Demetrios Gravanis was toiling away on a big case. When the station's telex machine were to life. Gravanis tore off the report. He looked out of his window and laughed. The statement from the Ministry of Public Order read, we believe we are very close to Nikos Pele Costas. But it seems that actually he was closer to us. Damn.

[Danny Gold]

But also, did he learn to fly? Was he the one flying the helicopter? Because if so, I take not what

[Sean Williams]

I said, Neo from the mic. No. Okay.

[Danny Gold]

I mean, you know, maybe these guys are. These guys are resourceful.

[Sean Williams]

No, this is. This is that dude Caricas from the Cold Open. He's like. Yeah, he actually. I mean, you know, he actually gets kidnapped at gunpoint. He has a pretty crap time. But like Nikos says, it's probably better to have a scared pilot that you kidnap rather than a guy who doesn't care who's your own. I don't know if it's that binary when you're a criminal, but anyway, it works for these guys. And I don't think that you can call this place Greece's Alcatraz if you can just fly in a helicopter and just like, you know, land and leave again. Anyway, the respite doesn't last long for Nikos or Rizae, and they're captured soon after the daring escape. But Vasilis, he's in the wind. And there he remain, an enigma until 2008. And that's when he decides to go for another high profile kidnapping. At first he wants to nab Pericles Panagopolis, Greece's richest man, owner of a fantastic name, also a shipping and ferry service magnate, like we mentioned earlier. But Vasilis changes his mind. Panagopolis is old and sick, and doing anything that could make him sicker or worse, would go against the Paleokostas code. Side note, Panagopolis will actually be kidnapped by three AK47 wielding men the following year and ransomed for US$14 million, which is the highest in Greek history. But Vasilis, dropping his own plan, has to start from scratch. He settles instead on George Millonas, an aluminium dealer and also president of the Federation of Industries of Greece, its kind of biggest chamber of high commerce. Basically, Milonis is one of the best connected men in the country, with contacts all over business and politics. He is also widely hated. Now, it may have slipped you by, but we're deep into 2008 now. The global financial crash is underway and few economies are getting hit as hard as Greece is. In fact, the Greek economy will suffer the longest of any advanced one on Earth in the wake of the crisis Its government has under reported debt levels for years. Defaults skyrocket and the country's GDP plummets. Greece's government responds by slashing welfare and pensions while joblessness, homelessness, drug use soar across Europe. You got the Germans slaying the Greeks every day in Brussels for not working hard enough. Pretty unfair. Things are fraying, falling apart. And George Millonas, billionaire aluminium magnate. He issues a public statement to his factory workers. Tighten your belts, he tells them. I'm about to slash your pay. And this is a red rag to a Robin Hood. And Vasilis quickly turns his attentions to Milonas. Stripped of his three favorite collaborators, Vasilis instead gathers a team of three other inexperienced crooks he knows from his time in prison. And he hatches yet another plan. On June 9, 2008, he strikes. Here is a Forbes magazine piece about the crime. Malonis was winding up a busy day. He'd had an early morning meeting at Greek Central bank, given the keynote speech at an event on corporate social responsibility, and then had dinner with his wife, Nelly. As he arrived home and got out of his car, Milonis was seized by four hooded men who forced him back behind the steering wheel and ordered him at gunpoint to drive away. For 13 days, Melonus was held in a windowless tent in the yard of a Villa only 20 minutes drive from his home. It was unbearably hot inside, and Malonas, who could not see outside, assumed he was somewhere deep in the mountains. While he wasn't physically mistreated, Malonas said his every move was watched by a camera. His captors threatened to kill him if he tried to escape. He despaired when he learned the size of the ransom they were demanding, $40 million. Nelly negotiated the sum down a bit and forced the Athens Stock Exchange to freeze trading of aluminium stocks so the kidnappers couldn't force her to liquidate the family's 70% holding. She personally dropped off a huge ransom, believed to be roughly $19 million. Now, there is a funny joke in the fact that you can just get the Athens Stock Exchange to shut down for a bit. Anyway, podcast series the Good Thief has a slightly different take on this whole affair. According to them, Vasilis deliberately snatches Maloneas in a way that ensures his two daughters won't see it. And the quote, windowless tent from the Forbes piece that becomes a tool shed with a portable toilet, radio, fresh clothes and slippers. Milonas says his captors are, quote, polite and treated me well. Vasilis brings him a newspaper each day and asks Milonis what's going on. Georgie, I know. When Malonis's wife makes the $19 million drop, Malonas says he's blindfolded and driven around by Vasilis for two hours in a BMW. According to some sources, he expects then to be killed. Instead, Vasilis takes off. Milonis blindfold hands him the keys to the BMW and tells him simply, you're free.

[Danny Gold]

You know the thing with it like $19 million in cash is probably weighs a lot. Moving it seems like a logistical nightmare. As does spending it.

[Sean Williams]

I think half of that is true. I think like yeah, spending it would be difficult. I think it is quite a lot. But then I remember we did a show about say che lop where they found like a bed that he'd made out of like I don't know, hundred dollar notes and actually several million was only enough to make like a king size mattress. So

[Danny Gold]

yeah, maybe it's gonna be.

[Sean Williams]

Yeah, yeah, it's like a billion. It's like a billion to the. Actually no, we're in, we're in Euro time now, so maybe it's a little bit less.

[Danny Gold]

Oh, good point.

[Sean Williams]

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. This is all pretty nice, but he doesn't really have the problem of spinning it right because he doesn't really spend the money that much. Yeah. Anyway, Milonis goes straight back to business, profiting wildly off the Greek debt crisis. Quote, it was God's wish that this happened to me. In business, I think you have to now consider another risk factor. And he later adds, quote, for me it was a bad experience. But whatever doesn't kill you makes you stronger. Which is the least true phrase of all time. See how these things could be spun either way? The brutish kidnapper, the gentleman crook, I mean you decide. In any case, if it had just been Vasilis carrying out the Malone's kidnapping, he may well have gotten away with it again. But the boys, he's assembled this team, they're not so keen on throwing their cash out of car windows or giving it to mountain orphans. One of them heads on a bender to the island of Crete, lives large, buys a jeep. But the money is marked. Cops trace it and arrest the guy. He sings in jail. And on August 2, 2008, they trace Vasilis back to the home in which he'd held Mallonis. The fugitive is pouring himself a cup of moonshine when the SWAT team burst through the door and capture him at gunpoint. Inside the home they find a DVD copy of the Mel Gibson Movie Ransom and Heat. Sitting alone in an empty home, surrounded by used notes, drinking moonshine and watching Heat a thousand times. And they say crime doesn't pay.

[Danny Gold]

You know, Ransom is also kind of badass. And it just. Mel kills it. And I forgive him now because Apocalypto is just so good, you know, Not a wasted. Not a wasted scene in that movie.

[Sean Williams]

I mean, I've heard people like forgiving Mel Gibson, but not because of Apocalypto, but actually so good.

[Danny Gold]

Have you seen.

[Sean Williams]

I remember I saw the cinema and it was awesome. Yeah.

[Danny Gold]

Ransom or Apocalypto?

[Sean Williams]

Yeah, good film. Also Ransom. Great movie too. Yeah. So when did he stop doing movies? Or is he dead now?

[Danny Gold]

He's. He's around. He just makes bad movies now.

[Sean Williams]

Oh, that's a shame. Anyway, I think, quote, the relative rapid capture. I really didn't want a bad note on this episode and now we've got one. If you do know what's happened to Gary S, please reach out.

[Danny Gold]

Oh, Gary Sinise. You said Mel Gibson.

[Sean Williams]

Oh, no, Mel Gibson definitely makes bad movies. Yeah. Gary Sinisto, he was like the ultimate movie villain for about five years, right?

[Danny Gold]

Had a good run.

[Sean Williams]

Yeah. Anyway, quote, the relatively rapid capture of Vasilis Paleokostas, one of Greece's most notorious criminals, is a much needed boost to the morale and public image of the Greek police, reads a cable from the US Consul in Thessaloniki as Vasilis prepares for his pre trial hearing in January 2009 on fresh kidnapping and robbery charges. This, plus the ongoing economic crisis helps foment a feverish support for vassalis among Greek citizens. Young women form a vassalis fan club while mobs of farmers, peasants and anarchists camp outside the court chanting death to pigs. Freedom to Paleo. Costas Vasilis's case even sparks into life a group of anarchist guerrillas who go on a rampage tossing Molotov cocktails through police station windows and other acts of sabotage.

[Danny Gold]

Don't they just call that Tuesday in Greece?

[Sean Williams]

Yeah. The only people who work are the anarchists. Ironically, they call themselves. Okay, this is a bit of a mouthful, guys. These guys are called the Conspiracy of Fire Nuclei. Perhaps something lost in translation there too. And they are still going. This further convinces the authorities that they're dealing not with a master criminal, but a terrorist. Something Vasilis himself scoffs at. Quote, the majority of the country's politicians. The ideal regime is repressive, vindictive and totalitarian. So even if there are no terrorists, some must be invented to justify a repressive legislation. I mean, whatever you think. The guy's 100% got the tortured principal Euro rebel thing down. I think I've heard this almost this entire speech in about a million Berlin clubs. Remember Alket Rizai, The Paleo Costas brother's Albanian hitman pal? He's set to be sentenced to 25 years himself for his role in in Nikos and Vasilis previous exploits. Greek tabloids grow transfixed with Rizai's glamorous girlfriend, Sula Mitropia.

[Danny Gold]

I did a. Did a cursory search for her for an image. Could not find a picture. Gave up on it pretty quickly.

[Sean Williams]

I spent a little longer and I did find one. I will send it to you after the show. When the judge sentences Rizai, Metropia throws her arms around Rizai dramatically. And when nobody's watching, she slips a mysterious watch into his pocket. Now. February 22, 2009. 3:00pm CoryDallas Prison. Yes, the same Corydalas. Greece's Alcatraz. The inescapable. Well, I won't go that far. The place Vasilis and Rizai had broken out of in 2006. It is the day before Vasilis. What a thousandth trial. He's pumping iron in the prison gym while Rizai jogs around the exercise yard. Suddenly, Rizai's wristwatch starts beeping. It doesn't just tell time. It's a phone. Rizai lifts the watch to his ear. It's his girlfriend. I mean, this is so hollywood, it's ridiculous. It's his girlfriend's pseudometropia. It's time, she tells him. Rizai and Vassilis gather in the yard. 45 minutes later, guards hear the unmistakable sound of rotor blades cutting through the air. It's a helicopter again. The chopper zooms into view and touches down once more in the yard. Again the deafening sound. Again the great plumes of dust and dirt kicking up like a Saharan sandstorm. At the joystick is another commercial pilot. Behind him, Mitropia, a grenade in her hand, threatening to blow them both to bits unless he springs Rizai and Vasilis from Corydallos. Guards rush to the scene and point their weapons at the chopper. Vizai and Vasilis make a run for it. One of the guards lunges for Rizai, but the Albanian pulls out a kebab skewer. Step back, he cries, or I'll stick you.

[Danny Gold]

I mean, that's the most Albanian thing I've ever heard in my life. Threatening to stab a guy who has a gun with. When you have a Kebab, skewer. It doesn't get more Albanian than that.

[Sean Williams]

Now, I did promise you Balkan and like, even though we've done a lot of shows about Yugoslavia, like, it's. It's Greece and Albania that are like the most Balkan of all the Balkans, I would argue. Yeah, it's nuts. Both convicts make it onto the bird and the pilot pulls away. Inmates are cheering and yelling. This time, though, won't be the same as the helicopter rounds. To make his escape, three guards grab their MP5 submachine guns and open fire, emptying hundreds of rounds into the vehicle. I mean, side note, clearly they didn't care about killing a bunch of kids playing soccer this time around. One bursts the fuel tank, another severs a fuel line. The pilot whispers a prayer as the chopper steers clear, gas pouring out of its flank. The needle on the cockpit plummets and the chopper loses altitude. Minutes later, the gang is forced to make an emergency landing. But nobody's hurt. And incredibly, Vasilis and Rizai are fugitives once more. Once again, tricolor Detective Gravanis sees the news appear on his police telex system. I couldn't help but laugh, he says. But this time he's one of few authorities willing to raise a wry smile. The fallout from Vasilis and Rizai's second helicopter escapade goes all the way to the top. Greece's prime minister calls an emergency cabinet meeting. Officials have their homes raided. Several prison guards are arrested for their role in helping Vasilis and Rizi escape, but only one of them is actually convicted. In Athens, a CIA Greek anti terror team known as the Invincibles is pulled away from its usual task of snuffing out Terracells to go after Vasilis Palaeokostas. He's Greece's most wanted criminal, and he makes Interpol's top ten list as well. Half of Europe is on Vasilis's tail. And in March 2009, a trio of armed robbers on motorcycles holds up a bank in Tricola, emptying the safe of almost half a million US dollars. Police are sure it's Vassalis, Rizae and Metropia. Shortly after, cops arrest Rizae Metropia. While in April that year, 15 undercover cops chased Vasilis along a coastal road in southern Greece. Here's Jeff Mach again, quote, cornering the fugitive. They pointed their automatic weapons at him and prepared to shoot. So I let it rip, wrote Pedia Costas in an open letter to the media. I sped down an alley to escape, and bullets were dancing inside My car's cabin. Okay, mate. These guys opened fire and shot more than 150 bullets in 15 seconds. By contrast, he said in all his years as a robber and fugitive, he had never fired a gun at a human. He signed off the letter with a clear fingerprint in blue ink. And this open letter goes on, quote, there were thousands of policemen wherever I turned my eye. Not to mention the undercover ones. But still the people seem to be on Vasilis side. At one point, a stranger rocks up to the Tricola home of a poor family whose father can't afford to pay for treatment for his medical issues. The stranger throws an envelope containing almost US$20,000 into the home and then he leaves. Everybody, of course, assumes this is Vasilis. On June 24, 2010, the story takes a deadly turn when a letter bomb explodes in the hands of a Public Order Ministry official in Athens, killing him instantly. The bomb is so powerful it blows down walls. But authorities claim they've discovered Vasili's fingerprints on the envelope, brand him a terrorist and slap a 2 million dollar bounty on his head. On top of the other bounty. On top of the other bounty. I don't know how many bounties there are, guys, but there is a huge controversy over this, especially in the suburb of Athens and other cities where anarchists and leftist sentiment is high and murals of basilisks are plastered all over the walls to this day. Says one Athens resident, quote, how do you find a fingerprint on a bomb that destroyed a man and blew down walls? I mean, it's got a point, right? And despite some infrequent sightings, that's it for Vassalus. He's still free, still on the move.

[Danny Gold]

Really? That's incredible. What a. What? I mean, insane. But I also, you know, I do find the letter bomb thing suspicious, knowing what we know about this guy. And I'm generally like, not a romantic about these types at all.

[Sean Williams]

Yeah, I mean, there are enough of these kind of like guerrilla groups running around marauding through Athens that I would probably say it's more likely to be them. But anyway, Vasilis, he still enjoys a joyride, especially in Volkswagen SUVs. Allegedly a normal life. His autobiography came out in 2021. Some say Vasilis has had plastic surgery, others that he's a master of disguise that's not mutually exclusive. Many Greeks call him the Uncatchable, which, yeah, they can't catch him, so that tracks. Others call him the King of the Mountains, which again, yep, can't really argue with that. Is he though a Robin Hood or is he just a talented crook? I guess, like all of these characters, it depends on your point of view, your politics. I mean, guys like this are always a bit of a Rorschach test, right? But is it a good story? Well, I would say yes. And if you're listening this far, I think you'll agree there is supposedly a team of cops in Athens dedicated solely to vasilis's arrest since April 26 this year. However, they don't have to worry about Nikos. He died that day at Tricolor Hospital after a prolonged illness, age 65. And actually, I would love to hear from folks who dispute parts of this story or have read about Vasilis lately. I had to pick through several conflicting narratives to pull today's show together. And there is plenty about Vasilis that seems either to be fairy tale. Like the stuff about, I don't know, bullets ricocheting through his car that sounds a little bit over the top or cobbled together for some pretty bad sources. In any case, that was a bit less heavy than the usual Nazis and mass graves, wasn't it? An actual Robin Hood story?

[Danny Gold]

Yeah. I'm kind of interested in what you think, because from. From the way you read it, I didn't realize, you know, there were separate sort of stories about him and separate sources in terms of, like, some disputing, maybe some of the more Robin Hood stuff. But he seems pretty Robin Hood, like, from most people who we get described as that who aren't at all like, what's your. What's your take on the whole thing?

[Sean Williams]

Yeah, I mean, there are other stories that I didn't put in there, like him firing guns into the air to throw cops off instead of firing them at them. Other times that he's, like, just dished out money to churches and people in villages and, like, despite all of the kind of bravado on either side and the bloviating. I mean, you know, some of his stuff in the autobiography is obviously nonsense, but I don't know. I mean, this is the most convincing one we've had yet, and I would

[Danny Gold]

say so for sure.

[Sean Williams]

Yeah, I definitely enjoy putting it together. It was cool.

[Danny Gold]

Nice. Well, guys, thanks for tuning in, as always. Sign up for the things. Watch the other things. Adam on the socials.

[Sean Williams]

Do the things. Watch the things.

[Danny Gold]

Do the things that we need. We need to do to. Yeah, yeah. Make it happen. All right. Until next week, gentlemen.

[Sean Williams]

Sa. Sam. Sa.