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Smuggling illegal alcoholic beverages and pesticides/ 10 people arrested in Thessaloniki

2025-09-29 17:24:00, Kosova & Bota CNA

Smuggling illegal alcoholic beverages and pesticides/ 10 people arrested in

Greek police have arrested 10 people in Thessaloniki after dismantling a criminal network that had been smuggling illegal alcoholic beverages and pesticides into Greece since 2012.

Police authorities in the north of the country discovered that the group's activities led to annual state losses of over 150,000 euros, resulting from unpaid taxes, duties and other fees.

The investigation began after authorities received information about the illegal import of plant protection products promoted via email to agricultural supply stores across the country.

The criminal organization used specially built hidden compartments in foreign-registered tourist buses to transport smuggled goods, avoiding customs and border controls. Once inside Greece, the products were collected by members in Thessaloniki and Athens, stored in pre-designated locations controlled exclusively by the group, and sold at an average price of 10 euros per bottle.

To avoid detection, members used coded language in their communications, referring to alcoholic beverages with terms such as "water," "goat," "canned," and color-coded words that related to the colors of the bottles.

Greek media reports that searches of buses, vehicles, homes, travel agencies and a bus parking lot resulted in the seizure of 529 bottles of alcohol, 165 liters and 7 kilograms of counterfeit plant protection products, 30 packs of cigarettes, 212,000 euros in cash, along with 1,100 US dollars and just over 400 euros in Ukrainian hryvnia, firearms and ammunition, knives, drones, fireworks, electronic devices and handwritten notes.

The suspects have been taken to the Thessaloniki Criminal Court prosecution office for further investigations./ CNA





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