An Albanian man, 38, and a 34-year-old Greek woman have been arrested in Greece after police in the neighboring country claim they found 18.8 kilograms of marijuana in the car they were traveling in. The case was recorded in the Kastoria area during an operation by anti-drug structures.
What Greek police claim about the detention
According to the official version, the operation was carried out by officers of the Narcotics Department under Kastoria’s investigative structure. Authorities say the vehicle was identified after information gathered by police.
Greek police claim the car was moving suspiciously, with the 34-year-old woman at the wheel and the 38-year-old Albanian man as a passenger. During the search, according to authorities, two travel bags containing 18 packages of marijuana were found in the vehicle.
The seized quantity and items confiscated
According to the published data, the total gross weight of the seized drugs was 18 kilograms and 800 grams.
In addition to the narcotic substance, police said they also seized the vehicle suspected of being used for transport, two mobile phones and two SIM cards.
Criminal case and next procedures
The preliminary investigation was carried out by the Narcotics Department of the relevant structure in Kastoria. The arrested individuals are expected to appear before the Prosecutor of the Kastoria Criminal Court on charges related to drug trafficking, according to Greek authorities.
A chain of crackdowns on the border with Greece
The case comes at a time when Greek authorities are reporting an increase in episodes of drug trafficking with links from Albania to Greece.
According to data reported by the Greek side, more than 1.3 tons of marijuana have been seized in the past 15 months in areas such as Igoumenitsa, Ioannina, Kastoria, Florina and Thessaloniki. A considerable part of the cases, according to these data, is linked to the Saranda-Igoumenitsa line.
The latest case in Kastoria adds another episode to cross-border drug trafficking files, while the weight seized and the area where it was discovered make the case of interest to Greek investigators.
So far, authorities have made public only the police version of the incident, without further details on the origin of the narcotic substance or the exact route the shipment was suspected of following.