More than two tonnes of heroin has been recovered from Greek warehouses over the past fortnight in an operation considered by authorities to be Europe’s largest ever seizure of the drug.
Exactly 986.6 kg of the drug was recovered from storage units near Athens on Friday, reported AFP.
The size of the stash added to a recently-set record of 1.113 tonnes of heroin which was also seized near Athens on the night of June 12. On June 13th, Merchant Marine Minister Miltiadis Varvitsiotis proclaimed it to be Europe’s largest ever seizure.
Greece makes second major heroin bust in as many weeks http://t.co/gsDYWfdSxspic.twitter.com/QT3Ed6o5YB
— Circa (@Circa) June 22, 2014
The combined discoveries comprised “the largest amount of heroin ever seized in Europe,” said Varvitsioti on Sunday.
Friday’s heroin had been shipped to Greece by a tanker – ‘Noorl’ – from Togo, West Africa. It allegedly belongs to a Greek company, the name of which has not been publicly stated.
Fourteen people were arrested in the incident, among them 10 crew members, in Koropi, some 40 km from the capital. Five Turkish people and the Greek company head were among those detained.
The drug was intended to be taken by truck from Greece to markets around Europe.