Chania: three guardians arrested over minors' drinking

Three guardians were arrested in Chania on 14 August 2026 by the Chania Security Sub-Directorate, after three minors were taken to hospital in a state of intoxication. According to the Hellenic Police announcement, they are two men aged 45 and 54 and a woman aged 51. The charges concern exposure and violation of the legislation on measures protecting minors from alcohol. The two incidents occurred separately, during the evening hours of the same day, and the minors were taken to the General Hospital of Chania. The accused are covered by the presumption of innocence. The arrests were made by the Chania Sub-Directorate for Crime Prosecution and Investigation.

Greek law provides for criminal liability for those with custody of a minor when the minor is found in a state of intoxication, regardless of where the alcohol was consumed, as well as penalties for businesses that serve alcohol to minors. In practice, prosecutions of guardians are rare and are usually triggered when the incident ends in hospital. The identity details of the minors are not made public and are not a matter for publication. According to one of the local outlets, they are three boys aged 13 and 14, a detail that is not included in the police announcement and has not been officially confirmed.

The phenomenon is not an isolated one. Crete’s EKAV ambulance service handled fourteen intoxication incidents in total across the island over the same two days, with transfers in the early hours in Chania and Rethymno. A few days earlier, in Mylopotamos, there had been three arrests over the intoxication of a minor, as TodayGrid reported in «Mylopotamos: three arrests over a minor’s intoxication». The repetition within a few days shows that alcohol consumption by minors peaks during the season of summer festivities. In both cases the transfers were carried out by EKAV ambulances, after calls from third parties.

In August Crete draws a very large number of visitors and village festivals, with nightlife spreading into open-air venues where supervision is harder. Health authorities point out that acute alcohol poisoning in children and adolescents is dangerous even in quantities considered small for adults, because of body weight and an immature metabolism. More from the area on the Chania page. The authorities note that inspections of food and drink businesses are stepped up during the summer season. The cases were forwarded to the competent prosecutor, as is provided for misdemeanours of this category. In Greece the sale of alcohol to minors under 18 is prohibited and carries fines and suspension of operation for businesses that breach the provision.