Half-Ton ‘Green Gold’ Cocaine Bust off Thessaloniki Dock
Sunday, Port of Thessaloniki, Greece – Law-enforcement roundup
Greek authorities announced the uncovering of roughly 275 kilograms of cocaine on Sunday—enough white powder to fuel European street corners for months. Market value, according to preliminary estimates shared by finance-crime prosecutors, tops $6.5 million.
How the Cargo Slipped Through—Then Didn’t
- A refrigerated container said to be filled only with Ecuadorian bananas steamed northward toward Thessaloniki.
- Days earlier, the U.K.’s National Crime Agency tipped off Greek counter-narcotics units. The message: watch the banana line.
- Officers shadowed the ship from open sea to berth, then cracked open the reefer before dockhands could lift it onto waiting trucks.
- Inside: scores of brick-shaped parcels stacked between bunches of yellow fruit. Each brick bore a curious stamp—“Diesel.”
Three Arrests on the Morning Shift
While forklifts idled, detectives cuffed three men believed to be the intended receivers. Names remain under seal; all suspects face felony trafficking charges carrying minimum decades inside Greek prisons.
Eyes on the Supply Chain
Shipping documents are being combed in search of additional routing points—Athens and Antwerp are on the radar. Port officials have meanwhile ordered x-ray scans of every South-American fruit box set to leave Pier 12 this week.
Quick Look at the Evidence Photos
Authorities released two batches of imagery:
- The extraction clip—grainy, high-stakes footage shot on body-cams—shows brick after brick tumbling to concrete.
- Still shots display neat rows of cocaine parcels stamped with the street-marketing logo “Diesel,” a calling card detectives believe links the load to a known South American syndicate.
$6.5 Million of Cocaine Found Hidden in Athens-Bound Truck
Key Facts from the Weekend Operation
- Nearly 600 lbs (271 kg) of cocaine seized in Greece.
- Value: over $6.5 million on the street.
- Arrests: three men detained while unloading the drug shipment.
- Vehicle: the drugs were hidden in a container truck en-route to Aspropyrgos, near Athens.
The Arrests
Undercover officers swooped in on Saturday afternoon as the cargo doors swung open. Those taken into custody are:
- A 40-year-old Greek businessman—the registered owner of the hauling company.
- A 32-year-old compatriot—believed to supervise distribution to local dealers.
- A 47-year-old Bulgarian national—said to have coordinated the hand-off between South American suppliers and the Athenian group.
Crime Network Under Scrutiny
Investigators believe the Bulgarian suspect maintained daily contact with a wider cartel and arranged for the container to be placed in the truck after it crossed into Greece. Officers are now hunting additional members suspected of smuggling and street-level sales. Evidence seized includes mobile phones, encrypted messaging apps and cash in multiple currencies.
Next Steps
All three accused will appear before an Athens prosecutor on Monday. Authorities have signaled that trafficking charges could escalate if further suspects are identified.
Bananas frequently used to hide cocaine
The Yellow Fruit Corridor: How Cocaine Is Crossing the World Inside Banana Crates
From the docks of St. Petersburg to supermarket backrooms in Oslo, 2023-24 has become the “banana year” for drug interdiction. Investigators warn that traffickers are treating the innocent yellow fruit as a rolling vault, stuffing tons of powder under every second pallet. Here is a timeline of the most jaw-dropping recoveries.
Brief Cases of Cocaine by the Calendar
- August 2024 – Greek customs agents pry open a refrigerated container at Piraeus port and walk away with 200 lb of uncut cocaine.
- July 2024 – Russian officials unveil a 1,800-pound haul hidden beneath plastic banana crates, branding it the biggest Latin-American seizure on their soil this year.
- May 2024 – A routine pallet break in a Norwegian distribution center turns into headlines when workers spot a stray brick; the final count hits 147 kg.
- April 2024 – In Ecuador, sniffer dogs circle stacked fruit boxes at Guayaquil port, signalling almost 6 metric tons bound for Hamburg.
- March 2024 – Bulgarian inspectors sift through Ecuadorian freighters and surface with 170 kg of the white powder.
- December 2023 – Authorities at Santo Domingo’s main harbor net just under 9.5 tons, enough to fill an entire cargo truck.
- November 2023 – British Border Force celebrates a record when they uncover more than 12,500 pounds of cocaine in Southampton’s banana stacks.
Why Bananas?
The supply chain is a smuggler’s dream: massive volume, rapid turnover, constant refrigeration, and ports in dozens of countries. One sealed box that never reaches a supermarket can vanish in the noise of millions that do.
What Happens Next?
Customs agencies are now re-screening entire pallets with X-ray tunnels and K-9 patrols—sometimes dismantling loads piece by piece. Yet with every seizure, traffickers tweak routes, making the next crate a fresh gamble between profit and prison.
