In a major police operation carried out on September 25, 2025, the Organized Crime Unit announced the dismantling of a criminal organization that trafficked massive quantities of drugs and maintained a fully equipped cannabis cultivation facility.
According to authorities, the following were seized:
- 1 ton, 161 kilos and 161 grams of raw Indian cannabis (totaling 1,161.161 kilos),
- 1,640 cannabis seedlings,
- and heavy weaponry, discovered in the organization’s storage facilities.
The financial “footprint” of the drug trafficking organization
The illegal earnings of the criminal group from drug trafficking are estimated at least 8 million euros.
The scale of the seizure and the plantation equipment demonstrate the industrial scale of production: 1,640 seedlings combined with over 1 ton and 161 kilos of raw cannabis means the organization was capable of supplying an extensive trafficking network. Authorities emphasize that these amounts translate to very significant profits — the Organized Crime Unit estimates that illegal revenues approach or exceed €8,000,000, an amount reflecting the commercial value of both production and illegal trafficking at the national level.
The long-term investigation by the Narcotics Division revealed a hierarchical structure: leader, deputy leader and members with clear roles (plantation supervision, transportation, “stash house” security, phone concealment and money management). In searches of residences and remote forested areas, authorities found, in addition to cannabis, cultivation equipment, electronic scales, vehicles and complete weaponry — including an assault rifle, two pistols, a hand grenade and 134 rounds of ammunition.
More specifically, it emerged that the organization members had continuous operations, hierarchical structure, as well as distinct roles:
The 39-year-old, as leader, had undertaken —among other things— coordinating the actions of organization members, covering cultivation needs, transporting and trafficking drugs, finding customers and collecting profits.
The 36-year-old as deputy leader, supervised the plantation, undertaking the transport of tools, materials, supplies and food, as well as guarding the plantation and overseeing the “workers” located within it.
The remaining organization members were tasked —case by case— mainly with finding storage and security locations for drugs (stash house) and part of the money, the safe movement of the organization’s leader, as well as concealing telephone devices for member communication.
From searches conducted in residences, as well as remote forested areas, the following were found and seized:
-1,640- cannabis seedlings,
-1- ton, -161- kilos and -161- grams of raw cannabis,
-4.3- grams of cocaine,
-3.5- grams of ketamine,
-10- grams of crystal methamphetamine (MDMA),
-9- “ECSTASY” drug tablets,
equipment for cultivating cannabis seedlings, such as cutters, gloves, glasses, watering can, hoe, bag of fertilizer etc.,
-2- pistols,
assault rifle,
hand grenade,
knife, magazines, -134- rounds of ammunition,
-4- electronic precision scales,
-3- passenger cars,
-17- mobile phones,
electrical discharge device,
-12,250- euros in obviously counterfeit banknotes and
120 euros, -1,900- Albanian Lek, -70- British pounds, -22- US dollars, -10- Canadian dollars and -20- Swiss francs.
Criminal charges were filed against those arrested for serious violations of drug and weapons laws, as well as for circulation of counterfeit currency. The six arrested individuals were brought before the competent prosecutor, while investigations continue to locate possible accomplices and for a complete financial and operational assessment of the organization.
