"The world is a smaller place now."

—The Greek

Globalization doesn't just affect the legit economy, it opens up many exciting new possibilities for the discerning crimelord too. "The Greeks" (they're not even Greek) are a multinational crime syndicate that seems to be based out of southeastern Europe and the Levant, and which includes members from Ukraine, Russia, and Israel. Their primary criminal enterprise seems to be smuggling Afghan heroin into Europe and the United States, but they are also involved in the cocaine business and have connections to Colombian narcoterrorists. They also operate prostitution rings, which becomes the focus of the second season. They have a partnership with Frank Sobotka who helps them smuggle contraband past customs inspections, and it is their pure heroin that Proposition Joe peddles in East Baltimore. They escape justice, and are seen again dealing with Joe, Marlo, and finally, in the last episode, with Fat Face Rick and Slim Charles.

Generic Ethnic Crime Gang: Mostly Greek and otherwise from around the Eastern Mediterranean.
Greater-Scope Villain: They smuggle drugs, stolen goods, and trafficked human beings into the country. The crime lords of Baltimore and other cities might come and go, but the Greeks will remain. Ironically, the Greeks themselves are considered insignificant enough as a smuggling operation by the US federal government that they cut a deal with the Greeks for intel on far more dangerous targets like Colombian narcoterrorists.
Human Traffickers: One of their lines of business is smuggling illegal immigrants from Eastern Europe into the US to work as prostitutes.
Invincible Villain: Due to being a valuable FBI informant, the Greek will always be tipped off if law enforcement is coming his way. As a result, there is no realistic way for any authorities to catch him or Vondas. Despite temporarily shutting down at the end of Season 2, they are operational again shortly after.
Outside-Context Problem: The Greek's empire is a serious and nebulous international crime syndicate very different from the petty kingdoms of the local drug gangs. Even the most competent police officers have to learn new tricks to deal with this threat.
Sequel Escalation: They follow the Sorting Algorithm of Evil in Season 2, being even more powerful and mysterious than the Barksdale Organization at their most powerful. Whereas Avon had contacts in other American cities, the Greek has contacts in federal law enforcement, Columbian drug cartels, and human traffickers all over the world. While Avon's face was not on file at least his name was known, while The Greek and Vondas's real names are not known to any law enforcement agency.
The Syndicate: It's a global crime organization involved in the drug trade and human trafficking, and too big for the BPD to handle.
We Have Reserves: As an organization that deals in human misery and desperation and operates out of poor countries, any loss of workers and supply lines is always temporary to them, as they can pretty easily be recouped. All in all, the death of the 14 prostitutes that kicks off the BPD's investigation is really just a minor inconvenience to them, and the BPD's efforts against them amount to barely even more than that. Sure, a few of their members are arrested and sentenced and a couple of their fronts are shut down in the process, but it barely takes them a week to get the drug trade up and running again, and a new prostitution ring follows not too long afterwards.

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Leadership

"The Greek"

Played by: Bill Raymond

"Lambs go to the slaughter. A man learns to walk away."

Business. Always business.

Head of a smuggling operation running out of the Port of Baltimore, specializing in drugs, prostitutes, and stolen goods. Tends to hide in plain sight, sitting at the bar while his Number Two ostensibly takes care of business. He is the main supplier of drugs for Proposition Joe, and later, Marlo Stanfield. The port investigation almost manages to arrest him, but a tip from an agent within the Department of Homeland Security (which the Greek is an informant for) gives him the time needed to shut down operations and flee the country, along with his Number Two, Vondas. No relationship, as far as we know, to "The Greek's", the restaurant in season one, where Brandon Wright played pinball.

The police (and pretty much anyone else familiar with him) just know him as "The Greek", and by his own words he's not even Greek.

Affably Evil: He is generally polite and soft-spoken and gives the impression of a kind, elderly gentleman — when he's not callously ordering his underlings to murder people.
Animal Motif: A subtle one. He has a tendency to regard his victims or those he regards as less than himself as "lambs", and he's the Wolf who can have his way with them.
- He tells Spiros once he's made the decision to leave, even at the expense of leaving a drug shipment at the port, "Lambs go to the slaughter. A man learns to walk away."
- He notes that Sam "bleeds like a lamb" after Sam is executed on his orders. The interrogation of Sam beforehand even played out like Aesop's fable, The Wolf and the Lamb. The Greek as the Wolf throws accusations and condemnations, while Sam as the Lamb tries to plead excuses and necessity but his fate is sealed. The Greek's facial expressions also conveys a frightening mixture of the menacing and the predatory during the interrogation of Sam as well.
- He is also of course the Alpha among the pack of Greeks, who kill on his orders without question. A wolf pack is absolutely merciless when its prey is cornered and helpless, like Sam or even Frank who fought back like some prey animals do. But a wolf pack will also Know When to Fold 'Em and disperse when the risk is too great. And a wolf pack can always renew its numbers.
The Bad Guy Wins: Despite suffering losses in Season 2, his organization is up and running again afterwards, and in the series finale, he and Vondas are still operational, even after Marlo is taken down. They just switched their Co-Op contact to Slim Charles and Fat Face Rick.
Beard of Evil: A mustache of evil, in his case. Oddly, his return in Season 5 has him clean-cut, though his one speaking scene has him doing something ruthless, which is cutting out Joe and giving Marlo the green light to kill him, so the lack of facial hair didn't make him less evil.
Beneath Notice: He invokes this trope by assuming a disguise and sitting nearby when Spiros, his second-in-command, meets with clients. Said disguise is...no disguise at all. He simply wears regular street clothes, reads a newspaper, and sips coffee at the bar. He looks like the type of elderly man reading the paper you see at every bar and restaurant in the city—and thus no one suspects him of being the head of the biggest smuggling ring in all of Baltimore.
Big Bad: For season 2, as the leader of the organization that the reconstructed Major Crimes Unit is targeting. Given his status as the supplier of the Baltimore kingpins and his organization's return in season 4, he would be the Greater-Scope Villain of the series as a whole.
Cool Old Guy: Toward Spiros he is an affable boss that even teases him about how he should have been a father. To anyone else though his politeness won't hide that he can have them killed and dismembered if they betray him.
Contrasting Sequel Antagonist: To Season 1's Big Bad, Avon Barksdale.
- "The Greek" takes Avon's approach to keeping a low profile to such an extreme that no one knows his real name and he doesn't seek to build any kind of reputation on the streets.
- There's also the fact that he's an elderly white man from... somewhere compared to the younger black Avon who was born and raised on the streets of Baltimore.
- The Greek's cold, pragmatic and taciturn personality contrasts against Avon's Hot-Blooded and boisterous one. The Greek never loses his cool or devolve into paranoia about his crew the way Avon does, which is what causes Avon to get arrested.
Cunning Linguist: Can speak English, Greek, Portuguese, Farsi and probably Turkish too. Who knows what other languages he might be able to speak.
Devil in Plain Sight: Everyone who meets with Spiros wonders who his mysterious boss is. Few people ever find out that it's the quiet elderly gentleman who sits at the counter drinking coffee and reading the newspaper while Spiros does the talking.
Diabolus ex Machina: The Greek gets the call from agent Koutris that Frank talked to the police right as he was about to have a meeting with the Greeks.
The Don: He is the head of an international criminal organization.
Equal-Opportunity Evil: Contrary to the expectation that based on its name his organization might be a Generic Ethnic Crime Gang, he actually employs Ukrainians, Israelis, and Turks (at least) in addition to Greeks.
Evil Old Folks: Appears to be pushing 70 at least, and is one of the most ruthless characters in the entire show.
Exact Words: The Greek tells Sailor Sam (who was being tortured) that once he tells what happens to the girls, "you're done, you have my word". His torture and suffering did end shortly after telling, as promised.
Fauxreigner: Even though he's referred to as the Greek, by his own words he's not actually Greek. He speaks Greek with some of his henchmen, though, and the fact that he's expected to dislike Turks may indicate that he's an ethnic Greek from Cyprus or Armenia.
Greater-Scope Villain: Of Seasons 3 to 5, once his organization is no longer being targeted by Major Crimes and is able to operate again. The Greek's drug product is the reason why the New Day Co-Op exists and is a threat. Getting access to the Greek (and ultimately take over the Co-Op) is Marlo's goal in Seasons 4 and 5. Even when Marlo gets to be the king of Baltimore's drug trade, the Greek is the person ultimately in control of their partnership.
Hidden in Plain Sight: The Greek walks past the very police who are investigating his organization. He does get caught on camera, however, which Nicky uses to identify him to police.
Hidden Villain: Not to the viewer and the Sobotkas, who see him from the very beginning of Season 2 and know he's the real head of the organization, but he is hidden to Major Crimes, who find out who he is in the last episode of Season 2 from Nicky, after assuming Vondas was the leader.
Implied Death Threat: When Frank speaks to him with Nicky, the Greek asks Nicky's name when the young man interjects. They both No-Sell it, answering fearlessly. Afterwards, the Greek tells Frank to spend some of his money on some material goods (instead of on his union lobbying), like a new car or coat. Both statements seem innocuous on the face of it, but it shows that the Greek is watching Nicky and Ziggy and knows what they spent their money on. It's a way to signal to Frank that if he acts too belligerent, the Greek is willing to come after them.
The Informant: He is actually an asset to the counterterrorism section of the FBI, who use him to take down even bigger targets. He leaks information to his FBI handler about a Colombian drug shipment with a street value of 45 million USD. The Greeks are also rivals to the Colombians, so the Feds are simultaneously taking out their competition for them.
Karma Houdini: Thanks to a tip from his FBI connection, he and his Number Two manage to flee just before the police arrive to arrest them, and while the remaining members of the Baltimore arm of the organization are arrested or killed and his smuggling, drug-running, and prostitution activities are shut down temporarily, it all just amounts to a passing annoyance for him, and he's able to resume business as usual in season 4 and beyond. He is never brought to justice.
Know When to Fold 'Em: He decides to make a pragmatic exit as soon as he learns he is under scrutiny, despite Spiros protesting that it would mean leaving behind a valuable drug shipment.
"Lambs go to the slaughter. A man learns to walk away."
Lack of Empathy: The Bait-and-Switch regarding when he seems saddened by the death of the girls in the can. He ultimately is disappointed about the financial loss, rather than the horrific murder and tragic fate of the girls.
The Man Behind the Man: He prefers not to deal directly with the dock workers or drug dealers, and it appears that only a precious few members of the latter group even knows that he exists. Major Crimes has Vondas pinned as the boss before Nicky gives a crucial tip that the Greek is the real head of the organization.
Mistaken Nationality: In the season 2 finale, he says that even though everyone refers to him as "The Greek," he's not even Greek. He probably doesn't mind the misdirection.
Non-Action Big Bad: He avoids getting involved in criminal activity firsthand, preferring to act through his underlings. He never appears to carry a gun, and given his age, he would not be suited for any sort of violence.
No One Sees the Boss: The Greek prefers it this way, and has everyone important enough meet Spiros while the Greek himself remains a mystery to everyone outside his organization.
Nothing Personal: One of the connotations of his philosophy "Business, always business". Best exemplified in Season 5. He is somewhat fond of Prop. Joe, but that doesn't preclude The Greek from dropping him as a partner in favor of Marlo.
Only Known by Their Nickname: Even Spiros only ever refers to him as "The Greek". His real name is never revealed.
The Quiet One: Rarely talks to anyone other than Spiros, but is the one calling the shots for the organization.
Reality Has No Subtitles: A lot of his dialogue is untranslated, and can't be easily inferred from the context or his tone.
Soft-Spoken Sadist: His voice is soft and gentle. He also never shouts. It is also higher pitched than expected of The Don.
Spell My Name with a "The": He is always "The Greek", never referred as simply "Greek". Though he does not insist upon it like many instances of the trope.
The Spook: Everything about him is a mystery. His real name, his origins, how he rose to heading his syndicate, all of these details and many more never get any light shed on them.
Teeth-Clenched Teamwork: To Frank Sobotka, who works with the Greeks out of financial hardship and clearly is uncomfortable with what they do. When the two speak, The Greek even says "no one is in this for love".
Villainous Friendship: He and Vondas seem genuinely close. He even fusses over Vondas' lack of appetite at one point when Vondas is worried, and when he sees Vondas taking a fatherly interest in Nick Sobotka, he fondly tells Vondas "You should have been a father, Spiros."
Villain Respect:
- To Frank, who he is willing to break his No One Sees the Boss policy for, despite Frank being outside the organization. He calls Frank smart when he successfully notices his phone is being tapped and puts clean cans instead of the ones with product onto the trucks. The Greek is also caught off guard by Frank asking for money for his union lobbying even though he is under surveillance and no one else is making any money, but smiles and agrees to pay him.
- What he says about Marlo, "he is not Joe", followed by a smile, seems to be respect for the ruthless young drug lord.
You Are Too Late: He's just a step ahead of the police several times, thanks to a mole he has inside the FBI who also works on anti-terrorism. All hail The War on Terror.

Spiros "Vondas" Vondopoulos

Played by: Paul Ben-Victor

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/spirosvondas_8834.jpg

"In business, you learn to appreciate a dependable man."

They have my name. But my name is not my name.

The Greek's soft-spoken right hand man who oversees his operations in Baltimore, which most notably includes acting as the wholesaler who supplies Prop Joe with drugs. He takes a liking to Nick Sobotka, facilitating the young man's descent into a life of crime.

Affably Evil: He is generally polite and soft-spoken, and treats the Sobotkas quite nicely, almost as old friends. In the end, he persuades The Greek to ask the Sobotkas to keep quiet rather than actually killing them (though at first he succeeds, the plan fails). Spiros is also saddened when they drop Proposition Joe as a business partner, knowing well that Marlo, the new one, would kill Joe.
Bad Guys Do the Dirty Work: Vondas slits Sailor Sam's throat, the man responsible for killing the girls in the can. Doing so allows Major Crimes to solve the murders once they flip Sergei to reveal the truth at the end of the season. Also, as Bunk and Lester discover, the crew of the ship was not going to cooperate either way, so Vondas ended up making 14 unsolvable murders solvable, even if he is never arrested for it.
Bald of Evil: Is bald and is a ruthless wholesaler to Prop Joe.
Contrived Coincidence: Despite being tipped off, the main reason Vondas isn't arrested is because Herc and Carver, who were stationed at the diner, were distracted and missed him leaving.
Deadpan Snarker: When The Greek says Spiros should be a father, Spiros snarks: "But then I'd have a wife".
The Dragon: He's The Greek's Number Two and the two appear to be genuine pals to boot.
Evil Mentor: To Nick Sobotka, to whom he takes a liking, treating him almost as the son he doesn't have.
Fauxreigner: Spiros has several passports from different countries, all in different names. In Baltimore he uses a Greek name. Since he speaks and texts in Greek, this appears to be his actual nationality.
Ziggy: So, uh, you must be The Greek.
Vondas: [long pause] Well, I'm Greek, anyway.
Foil: To Marlo Stanfield - Marlo is eager to show off his power, whilst Spiros cares more about blending in. Marlo declares, "MY NAME IS MY NAME", whilst Spiros says, "but my name is not my name". Guess who ends up arrested and who gets off scot-free.
Good Smoking, Evil Smoking: Evil, clearly; he rarely appears without a cigarette in his hand.
The Heavy: For Season 2, since the Greek does not appear nearly as much as him, and uses him as a Mouth of Sauron. Vondas is able to make many decisions on his behalf and always meets people for his boss. Additionally, Paul Ben-Victor is credited as a starring lead in Season 2 and Bill Raymond, despite playing the Big Bad, is credited as a Guest Star.
I Have Many Names: As he says himself, "many names, many passports".
Karma Houdini: Along with his boss, he escapes punishment entirely.
Mister Big: Downplayed in that he's not freakishly short (Paul Ben-Victor is around 5'7) or actually the boss. Vondas is still shorter than almost every other character he talks to, but he is the main visible authority figure of the organization.
Mouth of Sauron: The Greek does pretty much all of his talking through him, due to his policy of No One Sees the Boss.
Multiple Identity IDs: He displays at least three different passports from various countries over the course of the second season, all apparently legitimate, all with different names. He even casually destroys and burns one that he showed to Nick Sobotka, then immediately takes out another.
Number Two: To the Greek.
Pragmatic Villainy: He prefers to avoid violence if he can, not out of moral conviction but because it tends to make a mess and draw attention from the police. When it becomes necessary, he is perfectly willing to cut a throat or two, as Frank Sobotka learns.
Secret Test of Character: He likes gauging reactions of young criminals asking him a favor.
- When Nick asks for help with Cheese bullying Ziggy Vondas asks him if he wants them to kill Cheese. Nick points out that Ziggy would have a target on his back and Ziggy is the one that fucked up. Vondas appreciates the answer as it shows Nick is smart and so give him Sergei to fix the issue.
- When Marlo tries to be their new liaison Vondas first asks him to launder his money then make disparaging comments about Marlo's background and how him and the Greek don't care much about the streets. It was to see how Marlo reacts and how serious he is about taking over.
The Sociopath: Though Vondas is actually quite pleasant if he likes you, he never seems to value anyone else's life and sees people more as things. This is best shown when he tells the Greek that he misses Frank the very next day after slitting his throat and tossing him into the sea.
Villainous Friendship: He and The Greek seem genuinely close and talk in a friendly manner.

Membership

Sergei Malatov

Played by: Chris Ashworth

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/sergei_8852.jpg

"In this country, supermarkets are cathedrals."

Did he have hands? Did he have a face? Yes? Then it wasn't us.

A Ukrainian (not Russian) who serves as a driver and enforcer for the Greek's organization. He's first seen waiting in a truck for the shipping container in which the dead girls are later found, and after committing several brutal crimes becomes a primary target of the police's investigation as season two goes on. When the combined police/FBI operation moves on the Greek's operation, he is arrested. He later agrees to inform on the Greek, but by this time his former boss has already escaped.

In season 5, he makes a brief reappearance in prison, in which he facilitates a connection between the Stanfield gang and the Greek's organization.

The Brute: He's the most prominent muscle man for The Greek, trusted to handle all sorts of physical tasks, especially when it comes to dishing out violence.
Dumb Muscle: Averted. While his role in the Greeks' organization revolves around intimidation and violence, he's not stupid and knows how to avoid drawing suspicion even if he falls short of being a Genius Bruiser.
Formerly Fit: When he shows up again in Season 5, he looks like he's put on a fair amount of weight and is no longer the walking slab of muscle he was in the second season. (How one gets fat on prison food may be the greatest unexplained mystery on The Wire.)
Husky Russkie: Ukrainian, but he certainly evokes the spirit of this trope.
Loose Lips: His Blasé Boast about handless and headless bodies is heard on the wiretap, giving the police a lead to the missing sailor from Atlantic Light.
The Mafiya: It's not stated explicitly that he's a member, but with his brutality and penchant for cutting off the hands and faces of his victims he clearly fits the trope.
Mistaken Nationality: The second he speaks, everyone in Baltimore believes he's Russian, but he's actually Ukrainian (despite having a Russian last name).
Mother Russia Makes You Strong: He mentions that he spent four years in prison in the Ukraine, and that American prisons are nowhere near as harsh.
Mouth of Sauron: Not in most matters, but he does operate in this manner and speak for The Greeks when it comes to settling the feud between Prop Joe's people and the Sobotkas.
Never Heard That One Before: He reacts this way to both the tendency that people have to think that he's Russian and that his name must be Boris.
(sighs) "Boris." Why always "Boris"?
The Reliable One: Nick says that Sergei is the only one he ever sees driving away the cans of smuggled goods for The Greeks, and notes that using the same person over and over could result in Sergei being easily recognized by others and potentially identified. Spiros responds that their organization prefers to use people they know they can rely on completely.
Stock Foreign Name: Nearly everyone in Baltimore insists on calling him Boris, to his confusion and annoyance.
Villainous Friendship: With Proposition Joe. When Sergei meets with Joe to settle the feud between the Sobotkas and Cheese, the two men joke together, reference past conversations that are never elaborated on, and Sergei voices a concern for Joe's health.

George "Double G" Glekas

Played by: Teddy Cañez

Twenty percent was last week. Today the quote is ten.

The Greek's fence, also in charge of smuggling stolen goods. His retail shop and warehouses are the front, storage facility, and transit line for stolen goods. He works with Nick and Ziggy Sobotka on several deals but rips Ziggy off on the last one. After an altercation where he beats and verbally abuses Ziggy, Ziggy comes back with a gun and kills him, causing a major breakdown in the relationship between the Greek's organization and the Sobotkas.

Ain't Too Proud to Beg: Trips over his own words pleading desperately for Ziggy not to finish him off when Glekas is wounded. It doesn't work.
Dick Dastardly Stops to Cheat: Cheats Ziggy out of half of what they agreed upon for a deal regarding some stolen cars, for no apparent reason other than disliking him in general. This gets him killed.
The Evil Genius: He's the man with the plan in the Greek's organization for moving stolen goods, smuggling contraband, etc.
Jerkass: Comes off as a fairly unpleasant person in general. He gives Nick and Ziggy a hard time over the camera deal until Spiros instructs him to buy at a fair price, he gives the kid working in his shop a hard time, and he cheats Ziggy in their last deal over the stolen cars just because.
Moving the Goalposts: Which gets him killed when Ziggy doesn't like it and it turns into a physical confrontation.
Rage Breaking Point: After Glekas calmly endures Ziggy getting in his face for a bit, Ziggy calls him a cunt. Glekas promptly begins beating down Ziggy and cursing him out in Greek.
Rasputinian Death: Is still alive after a half dozen bullets to the back, then gets shot in the face to finish him off.
Small Role, Big Impact: Has little screen time, but his death throws the Greek's organization into chaos and gives the cops the break they need to blow the case open.
Smug Snake: Even before he rips off Ziggy For the Evulz, he comes across as a snide and petty man.

Eton Ben-Eleazer

Played by: Lev Gorn

An Israel-born lieutenant of the Greeks, in charge of drug distribution in Baltimore.

Cleanup Crew: Assists Sergei and others in cleaning up Glekas's store after Ziggy shoots Glekas.
Good Cannot Comprehend Evil: Well, more like "pragmatic, relatively honest criminal cannot understand one that cheats and screws over partners". At one point Eton and Spiros talk about their business with Columbians, who they sell chemicals that the Columbians use to process drugs. Eton is frustrated and puzzled that the Columbians, despite needing the product and having no complaints about the quality, are nonetheless trying to cheat the Greeks out of payment entirely even as they keep demanding more and more of the chemicals.
Minor Major Character: He's the top lieutenant in charge of drugs within the Greek's organization, a position of substantial power and very relevant to the interests of the cops investigating the Greeks. His role is very minor and barely contributes to the overall plot.
Mistaken Nationality: Nick initially assumed that he was Greek as well when Eton and Nick were introduced.
No Sense of Humor: Is completely stone faced when Nick tries to make a friendly joke upon first meeting him.

Ilona Petrovna

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/ilona.png

Played by: Gordana Rashovich

A Russian madam that oversees the brothel where imported girls are shipped off. From there, they are kept under her watch, where she arranges their customers.

Bit Character: She only speaks in one scene, which is the same scene she's arrested in.
Minor Major Character: Despite being an integral part of the Greek's sex trafficking network, she has pretty insignificant screentime.

Associates

"Sailor Sam" Choksey

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/sailor_sam.png

Played by: Gerard Ender

A sailor in the employ of the Greek, his job is to watch over and keep safe any girls being smuggled into the US as part of the Greek's prostitution ring. During the long ride across the ocean, he had the idea of making some money by pimping out the girls with members of the horny crew. When one of the girls refused and tried to fight, her would be client killed her. In a panic at being implicated in her death, Sam made the monumentally stupid decision to eliminate the witnesses by killing the other girls, which he accomplished by forcing them back into the container and closing off the air hole. He is tracked down by the Greeks and murdered for his part in all this.

Asshole Victim: Not a tear was shed in universe or out when he was killed.
Bad Liar: When being interrogated/tortured by the Greek and his men, he attempts to claim that it wasn't him that killed the girls, but when asked who did do it, all he can come up with is "Another man".
Did Not Think This Through: On multiple levels. First, he doesn't expect any of the girls to resist his efforts to pimp them to the crew, even though, as an FBI Agent tells Jimmy, most women being smuggled this way think they'll be able to get into legitimate jobs in their new country and don't expect to be kept as Sex Slaves. Second, he doesn't anticipate what might happen if any of the girls get hurt due to his brilliant idea, and when one dies, he has no plan for a cover up or explanation for The Greeks. His panicked attempt to cover it all up instead kills the rest of the girls, something that cannot possibly be explained as anything other than an intentional action and is only more certain to draw the attention and wrath of his criminal organization. And when questioned, he has nothing to fall back on except an obvious lie.
Dirty Coward: Seriously, he kills the rest of the girls just to cover up the death of one. He's a snivelling wreck by the time the Greeks catch up to him and he then pathetically tries to pin it onto "another man".
Fat Bastard: He's overweight, willing to sell young girls into being Sex Slaves, and murder a whole bunch of girls to try to cover up his role in the death of one. Yeah, he qualifies.
Nervous Wreck: He panics and goes to pieces when scared, as shown by his actions with the girls, his failure to come up with any kind of plausible lie for the Greeks, and his fearful behavior on board the Atlantic Light when he realizes the ship is staying in port at Philadelphia rather than leaving.
Only Known By His Nickname: His name is never mentioned, and the script and credits only refer to him as Sam or Sailor Sam, which is probably not his real name, as the character is supposed to be a native Turk.
Shameful Strip: Sergei has him stripped naked as he brutally tries to beat the truth out of him to demoralize him further.
Small Role, Big Impact: He's a minor criminal on screen for only part of one episode, but the second season and many events that followed it would have been very different without his involvement. Without him, the the girls don't die, McNulty probably never succeeds in getting off the boat, Daniels quits the police without ever being promoted, Carver, rather than being set straight by Colvin, remains in the South East under Valchek's command and never turns himself around, Prez isn't pushed into his physical confrontation with Valchek, the dock workers may have survived investigation without the infamy of the murdered girls bringing them extra attention, etc.
The Sociopath: Sailor Sam only cares himself and making money. He doesn't care about The Greeks at all.
Tattooed Crook / Storyboard Body: has tattoos of a Compass Rose on both his knees, marking him as a experienced sailor, and the Turkish Star and Crescent on his forearm. These help the police finally identify his body despite it missing the head and hands.
Too Dumb to Live: Really, if you're afraid that the Greek is going to be upset over you pimping out his girls without permission and getting one girl killed, what do you think he's going to do if you kill another thirteen girls?
You Have Failed Me: Sam's failures with the girls being smuggled into the country results in The Greek having Spiros cut Sam's throat.