Eighty plastic packages containing a narcotic substance (cocaine) with a total gross weight of ninety-one kilograms and six grams (91,006 grams) were found and seized inside a container of bananas. The estimated value of the seized cocaine is approximately 4 million euros.
The container arrived at the port of Piraeus from Ecuador on a Liberian-flagged ship on the evening of Monday, November 13th, 2023. It was carrying a legal cargo of bananas.
The seizure of the narcotics took place at noon on Tuesday, November 14th, 2023. The operation was conducted by a joint team consisting of executives from the Directorate of Prosecution of Drugs & Smuggling (DI.DI.NAL.) of the LS-EL.AKT Headquarters, the Regional Prosecution Team of Narcotics (P.O.D.I.N.) of the Central Port Authority of Piraeus, and employees from the 3rd Customs of Piraeus-Smuggling Prosecution Department. During the operation, a geo-location device (GPS tracker) was also confiscated.
This collaborative effort was part of inter-agency cooperation to combat drug trafficking.
Following the initial seizure, further investigations were conducted at the port of Thessaloniki from November 19th to November 22nd, 2023. Officials from the National Drug Enforcement Agency, the Regional Drug Prosecution Teams (D.D.I.N.) of the Central Port Authority of Thessaloniki & Piraeus, and the First Customs of Thessaloniki examined sixteen additional containers connected to the original one, but no further contraband was found.
K-9 teams and self-propelled X-Ray vehicles from the aforementioned authorities, as well as the Central Port Authority of Kavala, participated in these multi-day investigations.
The Central Port Authority of Piraeus is currently conducting a preliminary investigation, and a sample of the seized narcotic substance has been taken by a team from the State General Chemistry for examination.
