TriTrace Investigations identifies the alleged head of a transnational organised crime network
Here is what we know about "Edik", the alleged head of an organised crime group operating in Greece and Cyprus.
Media reports indicate that, on 14 July, the Cypriot authorities were notified of the arrest in Dubai of a man known as “Edik”. He is believed to head an organised crime group linked to smuggling, extortion, murders in Greece and other serious offences in Cyprus. TriTrace Investigations has identified the man known as “Edik”. Here is what we know about him.
What are he and his organisation involved in?
His identity had not previously been publicly established. Media reports have referred to him by the aliases “Edik” and “Entik”, as well as “The Voice” — a nickname he reportedly acquired because even some of his associates did not know what he looked like. He is believed to run the organisation from Dubai.
The group comprises mainly people from the former Soviet Union. It has reportedly been active since at least 2022. As part of an ongoing criminal investigation, Greek police now suspect more than 150 people of being involved in its operations.
Its principal activity is believed to be the production and distribution of counterfeit cigarettes. The group allegedly controlled illegal tobacco factories, warehouses and supply chains, enabling it to distribute its products in Greece, elsewhere in the European Union and beyond. The organisation reportedly laundered its proceeds through shell companies, cryptocurrency and transactions involving Russian banks.
Who is “Edik”?
A photograph of “Edik” published in an Interpol Red Notice enabled TriTrace to identify him as Edward Konstantinovich Damotsev, 51. He holds Russian, Georgian and Greek citizenship. During the 2010s, he changed his surname to Damotsidis.
“Edik" and his family are ethnic Greeks originally from Georgia. They lived in Russia’s Stavropol region. His brothers, Yanis and Democrit, own businesses in Russia, most of which are inactive.
Until at least 2021, “Edik” and members of his family travelled regularly to Ukraine. Leaked records show that he drove from Russia to Odesa in a Lamborghini with Ukrainian number plates. He was also married to a woman from Ukraine until their divorce in 2023.
From Street Thug to Organised Crime Boss
In 1995, he was wanted by the Russian authorities for several months in connection with an aggravated hooliganism offence. He was later charged with minor public-order offences and with residing without a passport or registered address.
TriTrace also found a customs document indicating that "Edik" and a family associate, Felix Azov, registered a BMW X5 using a forged certificate. Media reports also state that a Greek court previously convicted him of stealing luxury vehicles in Greece.
His organisation has been linked to the murders, between 2022 and 2024, of several figures in the Greek criminal underworld with connections to the tobacco or fuel trades. In 2024, Greek police published details of eight suspects in the murder investigation.
TriTrace has confirmed a connection between one alleged member of the organisation and “Edik’s” family. We found that Theodoros Filopoulos, 47, originally from Uzbekistan, was in Moscow in 2024, where he checked into a hotel together with “Edik’s” brother Democrit.
In 2025 and 2026, investigators identified what was believed to be a local branch of the organisation in Cyprus. It has been linked to arson attacks targeting Onewin, a betting company with Russian roots, and an entity referred to in reports as "Paris Match", apparently meaning Parimatch, another betting business.
The group is also suspected of attempting to intimidate Russian businessman Dmitry Punin, who is believed to own the Pin-Up online-casino business. During 2025–2026, several vehicles belonging to people close to him were set on fire, along with a shop selling alcohol that he owned.
What happens next?
No decision on “Edik’s” extradition has been announced publicly. It also remains unclear which country’s request led to his arrest. Both Greece and Cyprus have reportedly issued warrants for his arrest. Media reports also claim that Moscow sent a diplomatic note to Athens calling for his rights to be protected, while his lawyers sought to have him transferred to Russia.
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