The operation of the criminal organization was revealed in May 2023, when 105 kg of cocaine were seized in a container of bananas from Ecuador
The 70-year-old doctor who sat on the bench of the three-member Criminal Appeal Court of Thessaloniki was sentenced to life imprisonment, 13 years in prison and a fine of 690,000 euros, accused of being the “mastermind” of a multi-member drug trafficking ring, which imported large loads of cocaine from Latin America to Europe. in containers with bananas.
The activity of the criminal organization was revealed in May 2023, when, following an operation by the Thessaloniki Narcotics Bureau, 105 kilograms of cocaine were seized in a container of bananas from Ecuador.
Two more loads of cocaine – a total of 160 kg – were attributed to the same circuit, which were seized a month later, again in Thessaloniki and in containers with bananas from Ecuador, as well as large quantities of the same narcotic substance, which were either detected abroad, or were about to be be trafficked. In total, the ring appears to have been behind shipments of cocaine totaling more than 700 kilograms, according to the indictment.
By the same decision, the court imposed on nine other persons temporary sentences ranging from 4.5 years to 21 years and fines of up to 518,000 euros. On the contrary, the verdict of the judges was acquittal for four defendants, including the doctor’s son and his ex-daughter-in-law.
The cocaine route and the role of the doctor in the circuit
The illegal cargoes seized in Thessaloniki – where they arrived via the city’s port – appeared to have as recipient a company based in North Macedonia. The drugs were hidden inside the girders that support the containers and were to be trafficked to Greece and other European countries.
The accused “mastermind”, who in the past had engaged the prosecuting authorities for fuel and cigarette smuggling cases, in his apology confessed part of his actions.
He stated that he provided services to cartels importing cocaine shipments which he undertook to export for a fee and with the assistance of his co-accused, from the container vaults.
He claimed that because he sometimes did not get the amount he had agreed upon, the shippers gave him quantities of cocaine as payment. He denied that it has anything to do with the large quantities, stressing that they were going elsewhere.
Source: Skai
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