A surveillance operation targeting an Interpol-wanted Turkish fugitive led Greek police to dismantle a drug distribution network and seize nearly 180 kilograms of cannabis in a series of coordinated raids across Athens.
International cooperation officers with the Hellenic Police had tracked down a 39-year-old Turkish national subject to an Interpol Red Notice when investigators observed associates of the suspect loading large fabric sacks into a transport truck.
Officers intercepted the vehicle in the central Athens district of Ambelokipi, arresting the 36-year-old driver and triggering a sweep of residences and storage sites linked to the network.
The raids organized on Wednesday, yielded 179.17 kilograms of raw cannabis, an electronic precision scale, four mobile phones, handwritten ledgers documenting the drug trade, the delivery truck and approximately 3,000 euros in cash.
Four suspects, described by police as foreign nationals aged between 36 and 60, were taken into custody and brought before a public prosecutor late Wednesday on felony charges of operating a criminal organization and violating narcotics trafficking laws.
The group is alleged to have run a structured operation dedicated to storing and distributing drugs across the greater Attica region.
The case illustrates the investigative dividends that can flow from international police cooperation. The Interpol Red Notice — issued for an unrelated offense — placed Greek officers on the ground in the right location at the right time, ultimately exposing a supply chain that might otherwise have gone undetected.
Authorities said the investigation is continuing and have not ruled out further arrests.