The DEA, Piraeus Customs and the SDOE, in cooperation with the DEA, the Piraeus Customs Department and the SDOE, proceeded to dismantle an organisation that was trafficking huge quantities of cocaine in containers.

The police officers located in Piraeus more 210 kilos of cocaine which had started their journey from Latin America and had as final destination Albania with the expected profit from their sale to exceed five million euros.

As it emerged from the police investigation, the mastermind of the organisation is a 48-year-old Albanian who took care of finding the quantities of drugs being trafficked, financing the purchase and transport, organising the shipment of drugs from Panama to European countries, hiding them in containers heading for our country and their further trafficking.

The 48 year old’s direct collaborator was a 36 year old from Albania who was in charge of finding and recruiting collaborators in our country for the importation and receipt of the drugs and their further trafficking.

Two Greeks were also members of the group, one of them being responsible for communicating with other members of the criminal organisation based abroad, representing them in coordinating the supply and financing the purchase of the quantities of drugs to be trafficked, and the second for providing operational coverage and protection of the “leader” by taking appropriate counter-protection measures to avoid his arrest.

At the same time, members of the organisation are also unknown, unidentified members of the organisation based abroad, responsible for the supply, purchase, placement and concealment within the containers loaded with legal cargo (containers), coming from Panama to Greece of significant quantities of cocaine for further trafficking and unknown, unidentified members of the organisation based in Greece responsible for the further trafficking of the seized quantity.

It is worth noting that the alleged “leader” in 2017 was accused by the S.D.O.E., without being arrested, as being charged with the role of financing and responsible for the establishment and preparation of the operation of a laboratory for the production of synthetic drug tablets, with the supply of precursors and chemicals, as well as the mechanical – technical equipment required for the manufacture of synthetic drugs.

In particular, a fully equipped laboratory for the production and standardisation of the synthetic preparation “Captagon” had been installed in a house in New Peramos, where 634,246 tablets were seized.

For the case in question, an outstanding court decision of the Athens Court of Appeal for Criminal Matters, which imposed a 20-year prison sentence and a fine of EUR 100,000, is pending against him.

One of the two Greeks, according to information from the Panamanian authorities, in 2012, was arrested by Costa Rican authorities, as he had a pending U.S. extradition request against him for his involvement in a case of arms transfer from Europe, in support of the foreign terrorist organisation FARC, in exchange for 50 kilos of cocaine.

He was serving a prison sentence in the United States for this case.

The drugs were in packages marked Sparta on the outside:

The police statement

A criminal organisation of an international character, whose members were active in the trafficking of significant quantities of cocaine from Latin America, was dismantled by the Sub-Division of Narcotics of the Attica Security Directorate.

They were transported by sea and concealed in containers for further importation and trafficking in European countries, including our country, in order to make large illegal profits.

In order to dismantle the criminal organisation, cooperation was developed with the DEA Office of the U.S. Embassy. in Athens, the Special Suppressive Anti-Terrorist Unit of the Special Police Forces Directorate and the Narcotics Department of the Third Customs Office of Piraeus, with the assistance of the Narcotics and Arms Control Department of the S.D.O.E. and the Narcotics & Smuggling Directorate of the Coast Guard – Greek Coast Guard.

The investigation was preceded by a month-long investigation where, through the appropriate utilisation, analysis and cross-referencing of information and data and other investigative methods, it was possible to identify and calibrate the actions of the members of the organisation.

At the same time, the operational structure and professional infrastructure that they possessed, which ensured the uninterrupted in time criminal activity and in particular the transport and trafficking of large quantities of cocaine, from which they earned exorbitant illegal income exceeding -5.000.000- €.

At the same time, the role of each of the members of the organisation was also identified, as follows:

48 years old, had assumed the direction and direction of the criminal organisation and in particular the finding of the quantities of drugs being trafficked, the financing of the purchase and transport, the organisation of the shipment of drugs from Latin America, as well as the concealment of drugs in containers heading to the country and their further trafficking,
36-year-old, was responsible for finding and recruiting other members,
64 years old, communicating with other members of the organisation based abroad to coordinate the supply and financing of the quantities to be trafficked; and 54 years old, was in charge of the operational coverage and protection of the 48 year old, taking appropriate measures to avoid his arrest.

To end their action, a police operation was carried out in the morning hours of yesterday, Wednesday 22/05/2024, during which the 48 year old was identified and in his possession were found for the purpose of further trafficking -180- improvised nylon packages containing cocaine, total gross weight -210- kilograms and -300- grams.

In searches carried out at homes and vehicles, additional items were found and seized:

– cocaine with a total weight of -510- grams,
– raw cannabis weighing -1.5 grams,
– the sums of money of -131,675- € and -30- pounds sterling,
– a pistol with a magazine containing fifteen (15) cartridges,
– 37 9 mm cartridges and -3- 7.65 mm cartridges,
– scales,
– 2 motorcycles,
– 17 mobile phone devices,
– memory card (usb device),
-3 electronic geolocation devices (GPS tracker),
container closure seal and
numerous pages of handwritten notes.

It is noted that, against the 48-year-old leader member, a 20-year prison sentence and a fine was pending as in 2017 he was accused of being responsible for the establishment and operation of a laboratory for the production of synthetic drug tablets, where over 634,000 CAPTAGON tablets were found and seized.

The 64-year-old had also served a prison sentence in the United States for his involvement in an arms transfer case from Europe.

Investigations are continuing to establish the full scope of the criminal organisation’s illegal activities and any links with other similar networks, as well as the identification of other members.

The arrested persons are brought before the competent prosecuting authority.