As we go to press with the September edition, the outrageous and illegal behavior in Malia continues unabated. Meanwhile, in late August, residents storm the Malia town hall demanding something be done. And, Yiorgos (not his real name), who worked as a barman for 12 years in some of the notorious clubs, decides to reveal what goes on behind the scenes. Here is his exclusive interview.

Do these stories of violence and nudity go on all the time?

It happens a lot. There are clubs in Malia that serve not just bombas but really pure dynamite. If I drank that stuff, I would go crazy, too.

Are bombas just a cheaper quality alcohol?

There are several sorts of bombas. With name brand bottles, the ones with "fool proof tops," they just hold the tops in boiling water for 10 seconds, and the entire top eases off. Then they put what they want inside and slide the top back on.  Sometimes they buy low grade alcohol, water it down and add caramel colour and that's one of the dangerous ones because it contains methyl alcohol. Or, there are kavas (liquor wholesalers) that sell bottles with brand labels that are a lot cheaper than their "righteous" brothers. These kavas bring in barrels of alcohol in brown or white colour and they bottle it in the appropriate bottles. This type of alcohol, too, can give you stomach and headache problems the next day. Just buying these bottles, the clubs save a bundle.

Also, to fill up the bigger clubs they need about a thousand people. So they discount their drinks, offer countless free shots, ply young women – and lots of them – with free booze to bring them in so the men (paying customers) will follow. And, there are always kamakis (PR people) outside to drag the kids in with offers of "free booze." Thus the bombas.

Aren't there government inspections?

That's a laugh! The people that come in to check, only take sealed bottles. All the clubs keep legitimate, sealed bottles.  They should come in like a customer, order a drink, and check the alcohol content. Also, they should check the ice cubes, because some clubs even save money on that by using "dirty" water.

How do the kamakis work?

The kamaki, who is totally illegal, is the most important person for a club. Because you can have the best music around and the best girls on the bar stools, but if the kamaki doesn't make the offers outside to the people – 3 for 1, 5 for 1, unlimited shots . . . they won't come in.

How much do they get paid?

They get about 25 to 30 euros. Most of them are foreign kids who want to have a free and fun-filled summer. At the end of the night the kamaki that brought in the most people gets a bonus and the one with less stays an extra hour or so cleaning up.

What about tour guides that set up pub crawls – how do they work?

The tour guide will get a receipt for the number of heads he brings in to a club and the prearranged "per head" money goes to the tour office. Of course, the tour guides get their pay-off by getting free food and drink all night. These kids are being led like sheep. They will go only where they are told because they trust the guides, but everything is prearranged between club owners and tour offices.

What about the barmen themselves?

Now there are bartenders who will slap down bombas, get you drunk as fast as they can with free shots, then shortchange you because you can hardly see anymore, and even take your shoes if they get you in a dark alley. There used to be Greek bartenders who cared about their customers. But no more. Now everything is illegal, from bad booze to loud music, and clubs have look-outs for the police and pull in their kamakis and lower their music before the cops come.

Is it all hopeless?

No, it just needs to be cleaned up. The authorities must step in and take charge.  

Hersonissos also has young tourism but you don't really hear these horrors. They must be doing something right!

Making Malia booze