A drug trafficking network importing liquid cocaine soaked into clothing was uncovered last week in Menidi, Greece.
The Greek Drug Squad suspects 43-year-old George Andreou, wanted in Cyprus since 2017 for drug trafficking and attempted murder, as the mastermind behind the operation. According to official court documents, Andreou was responsible for sourcing cocaine suppliers in Ecuador and organising its smuggling into Greece.
Cypriot press reports show Andreou has been on the run since 2017, when he was tried in absentia for a felony drug case. In 2019, he was again charged- without being arrested- for the attempted murder of a Syrian man outside a nightclub in Nicosia. He allegedly shot the victim in the head during a dispute linked to protection rackets.
In 2020, Greek authorities believe he coordinated the shipment of cannabis to Cyprus by mail. Despite repeated investigations, he remained at large.
The recent operation began when Greek DIAS motorcycle police responded to a noise complaint on 26 May at a home on Megalou Alexandrou Street in Menidi. Two men tried to flee by jumping from a balcony, suffering leg fractures before being arrested. One was a 38-year-old Colombian national, the other from the Dominican Republic.
At the front entrance, officers stopped a 51-year-old Cypriot man carrying a black suitcase containing two bags of white powder suspected to be a cocaine-cutting agent. The Drug Squad conducted a full search the following morning.
Inside the flat, police found chemically treated clothing imported from Ecuador—saturated with liquid cocaine that was undetectable in transit. The apartment served as a lab where the cocaine was extracted, processed into powder form, and prepared for sale.
The flat also contained all necessary lab equipment, chemical solvents, and adulterants used to cut the drugs.
The two Latin American men acted as the network’s “chemists” or “cooks,” believed to have been sent by the cartel. A 48-year-old woman was also arrested for allegedly importing the required chemicals from the Netherlands to Attica.
Andreou, still at large, is described as the network’s ringleader. It is likely that the arrested suspects identified him to police in hopes of receiving more lenient treatment.
All four individuals were remanded in custody after appearing before the magistrate on Friday and Saturday.
