Three families, 76 defendants, drug trafficking, and illegal possession of weapons and antiquities make up the picture of the new major operation by the Hellenic Police in Crete.

According to well-informed sources speaking to protothema.gr, the investigation revealed that members of three families were trafficking large quantities of drugs, mainly cocaine and cannabis—substances they hid in remote outdoor locations on the island as well as in “stash houses.”

Police have already arrested a father and his two sons, as well as another case involving a father, mother, and their two sons.

Simultaneous operation and raids on more than 20 houses

The operation, coordinated by the Heraklion Security Division, began in the morning and took place simultaneously in Heraklion, Zoniána, Rethymno, and Agios Nikolaos. Seventeen people were arrested, while the total number of defendants has reached 76.

Officers searched more than 20 homes and, in addition to drugs, found illegal weapons and antiquities.

The operation was carried out in the context of investigations into drug trafficking, specifically cocaine, while additional evidence emerged from recorded conversations as part of a probe into illegal subsidies from OPEKEPE.

In one of the recorded conversations, a resident of Zoniána is heard trying to find livestock in anticipation of an inspection, in order to match animals he had declared to the authorities.

In this context, sacks containing thousands of ear tags were also found (special identification markers placed on the ears of animals such as sheep, goats, cattle, and pigs for traceability and registration), which members of the organization allegedly used to register the same animals multiple times in official systems.

Findings so far

The findings so far include more than 30 bank accounts, as well as cash and a bank-style money counting machine found in the possession of a shepherd.

Police sources also report that members of one of the three families had a peripheral role in a case involving police officer Stathis Lazaridis, who was seriously injured in an Hellenic Police operation in 2007 and died eight years later.