Nearly 46 kilograms of high-purity cocaine from Ecuador were seized at the port of Thessaloniki. The drugs were hidden in a container carrying bananas and were intended for distribution within Greece and, primarily, across Europe.
Four foreign nationals—suspected members of an international drug trafficking ring—were arrested in connection with the case. Among them is a 32-year-old Venezuelan man who was apprehended last Saturday at Thessaloniki’s “Macedonia” international airport while attempting to board a flight abroad.
A subsequent operation led to the arrests of three others—a 34-year-old from Slovenia, a 36-year-old from Kosovo, and a 44-year-old from the Dominican Republic—who were allegedly responsible for further distribution of the cocaine. The case file also includes other, as yet unidentified, individuals.
The investigation was conducted by the Narcotics Division of the Organised Crime Unit, in collaboration with the US Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA). It is reported that the suspects communicated via an encrypted online app (Signal) to coordinate the distribution of the cocaine.
A total of 45 kilograms and 993 grams of cocaine were confiscated. The shipment, which had arrived at the port of Thessaloniki within the past 24 hours, was found hidden within the cooling mechanism of the container carrying bananas.
The 32-year-old Venezuelan has already been brought before the prosecutor and referred to the special investigating magistrate in Thessaloniki, facing felony-level charges. The other three suspects are set to appear before the prosecutorial authorities later today.
Also read: Mother framed son-in-law with drugs to end daughter’s relationship
Source: ANA-MPA
