Rethymno: Arrest for selling alcohol to minor

A shop owner in Rethymno was arrested on Monday, August 17, 2026, following an intoxication incident involving a minor tourist the previous evening. According to police announcement as carried by Cretan media, the minor — 17 years old according to Cretalive and Patris — purchased alcohol from the establishment during the evening hours of Sunday, August 16. After consuming it, he was found intoxicated and transferred for hospitalization at Rethymno Hospital. Ekriti reports that the teenager was in Crete within an educational excursion. It has not been disclosed whether the minor was accompanied by adults at the time of purchase, a detail usually examined during pre-investigation.

The 64-year-old domestic shop owner was arrested by police of the Crime Prosecution and Investigation Directorate of Rethymno. He is accused of violations of the legislation concerning the protection of minors from alcohol and is considered innocent until proven otherwise. Pre-investigation is conducted by the same directorate. Greek legislation prohibits the sale and provision of alcoholic beverages to persons under eighteen years of age, providing for criminal sanctions for the seller and also administrative fines and the possibility of shop sealing. In practice, age verification requires presentation of identification documents, an obligation that legislation places on the seller and not the buyer.

This is a separate incident, distinct from two similar ones that had been recorded during the August 15 holiday weekend in Mylopotamos and Amari and which had likewise led to arrests. In Rethymno County this year several incidents have occurred resulting in minor hospitalizations, such as the transfer of two minors to the hospital made public on Monday. The repetition of incidents in a short timeframe has led to intensification of checks by police authorities. Checks are typically conducted during evening and night hours, in cooperation with health inspection services of municipalities and the region.

Raki, or tsikoudia, has an alcohol content usually ranging between 35 and 45 percent and is traditionally served in small quantities, often as a complimentary drink. For minors without consumption experience, the speed at which it is absorbed can lead to acute alcohol poisoning, a condition requiring hospital treatment. Cretan police directorates have announced that targeted checks at food and entertainment establishments will continue through the end of the tourism season. More about the county in the Rethymno section. Rethymno Hospital has not released information about the minor’s health status, who, according to reports, was not in danger.