Four people were arrested and about 48 kilos of cocaine were seized by authorities in the western port city of Patras and in Athens in a cocaine bust on Monday.
Patras port authorities acted on a tip-off with the help of sniffer dogs, discovered a large quantity of cocaine during a check of a truck in the port that had arrived from Bari, Italy via ferry. The narcotic was concealed in a specifically designed hiding space in the driver’s cabin of the truck. It had been covered by a special cream and wrapped in carbon paper so that it could not be traced by X-ray instruments.
Authorities also found a carton containing 10 one-kilo boxes of the chemical substance phenacetin in white powder. This was to be mixed with the cocaine in order to increase the quantity of the drug.
The driver of the truck and two others in a car accompanying the truck were arrested at the port. A subsequent operation in Athens led to the arrest of a 48-year-old Albanian national said to be the recipient of the cocaine.
According to port officials, Monday’s stash was one of the largest quantities of cocaine to be seized in the last five years. International connections have not been ruled out
The investigation continues for possible other members of the drug ring.
(source: ana-mpa)
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