A helicopter landing near the beach of Gera in Spetses caused alarm among beachgoers when the aircraft touched down on a clearing adjacent to the shoreline. The incident was captured on video by vacationers and shared on social media, prompting notifications to the Coast Guard and subsequently the Spetses Police Department. Officers who arrived at the scene located the helicopter, along with its 45-year-old German pilot and 29-year-old Austrian co-pilot. The Nafplio Criminal Prosecution Authority was informed of the incident and ordered a preliminary investigation to be carried out.
During the search of the area, according to ERT, officers discovered a black backpack. According to police sources, inside the bag were two small pouches containing substances believed to be cocaine and cannabis, as well as a nasal spray, a pharmaceutical product, rolling papers, and a police ID card.
Spetses helicopter landing: who rented it, and the identity of the 39-year-old
The ID card belonged to a 39-year-old businessman who had apparently rented the private helicopter from a company based in Glyfada. According to the same sources, the helicopter had taken off from the Keratea area with Spetses as its destination.
A foreign female companion of the 39-year-old is also believed to have been on board the helicopter. She was not located by police and has yet to give a statement.
The 39-year-old was sought by authorities and subsequently presented himself at the Spetses Police Department, where he was arrested for violating narcotics legislation. On the orders of a prosecutor, however, he was released, while a case file will be compiled against him and submitted to the Public Prosecutor’s office.
A separate case file is also being compiled regarding the helicopter’s landing at that specific location. Authorities are also examining potential aviation safety violations, as the helicopter landed in an area directly adjacent to swimmers and beachgoers.
The Spetses incident is reminiscent of a recent similar case involving a helicopter landing on a beach at Sarakiniko on the island of Milos.
