Over 800 kilograms of pure cocaine, valued at more than €50 million on the retail market, were seized in a major operation led by Greece’s FBI unit. The drugs were being smuggled through cowhides imported from Latin America and were destined for the streets of Greece via an international drug trafficking network. The leader of the ring was a 45-year-old Albanian national living in Spain, while representatives from Bolivia and Colombia oversaw the chemical extraction process to obtain pure cocaine. The group also included Greeks and Albanians who played secondary roles.
What made this network particularly dangerous was that none of its members had prior records related to narcotics, making them difficult to detect. The breakthrough came from a tip-off by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) about a new smuggling method involving hides soaked in cocaine, shipped in containers through Piraeus port.
Greek law enforcement quickly identified a newly founded company importing cowhides from Bolivia. Surveillance revealed that the company purchased large quantities of solvents not typically used in leather processing. A warehouse in Spartades was later discovered to be operating as a makeshift cocaine laboratory.
Yesterday morning, police raided the facility with assistance from EMAK firefighters equipped with special masks. They found approximately 100 kilograms of cocaine already extracted from 200 hides, along with another 1,500 hides awaiting processing. Two Latin American nationals—acting as cartel representatives—were arrested on-site, along with four other suspects. Authorities also seized 245 kilograms of chemicals, factory equipment, weapons, and over €82,000 in cash.