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USA Today
3 days ago
- USA Today
Cocaine is still being smuggled in banana containers; Greek sting shows
Banana cargo boxes continue to be a popular way to smuggle cocaine overseas after Greek police said they seized nearly 600 pounds of cocaine from Latin America with an estimated value of more than 5.5 million euros, or $6.5 million. Officials arrested three members of a transnational crime group who were shipping a container to a port at the northern city of Thessaloniki, the Greek Police's Ministry of Citizen Protection said in an Aug. 8 news release. Following a tip from the United Kingdom's National Crime Agency and a court-issued order, officials located and seized the cache containing the drug, police said. One of the three suspects was arrested in connection with the case after refusing to submit to a legal police check, and officers later confiscated a small amount of cocaine at his home. On X, police shared video of officers dismantling the banana shipment of cocaine, showing multiple brick-sized packages of the drug slowly falling down. Police did not identify the three men arrested but confirmed their ages and their alleged roles within the criminal organization, including: The three suspects were taken to face prosecution on Monday, Aug. 11. Police are seeking additional suspects who they say helped make the operation possible. Banana shipments commonly used to ship cocaine The failed Greek operation is not the first attempt to package cocaine inside banana cardboard boxes overseas. In July, Russia's customs service said officials seized 1,800 pounds of cocaine hidden under banana shipment containers worth around $153 million, CBS News reported. Last December, Greek Police confiscated 205 pounds of cocaine at the Thessaloniki port after customs agents X-rayed a banana container. Last year, officials in Paraguay confiscated more than 10 tons of cocaine worth nearly $500 million, seized from sugar and bananas in two South American drug busts. At least five people were arrested in connection with the trafficking cases in July 2024. In February 2024, the UK's National Crime Agency seized 6.3 tons of cocaine worth over $570 million from a container at Southampton Port, about 80 miles southwest of London.
Yahoo
03-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
38-Year-Old Woman Killed in Popular Tourist Destination After Bomb She Was Carrying Detonated in Her Hands
A 38-year-old woman was killed in an explosion after a bomb she was allegedly carrying detonated prematurely in the northern Greek city of Thessaloniki on Saturday, May 3 The explosion damaged storefronts and vehicles parked nearby The woman was transported to a local hospital, where she was pronounced dead A woman was killed in an explosion after a bomb she was allegedly carrying went off in her hands in Greece. The 38-year-old woman was transporting a bomb outside a bank in the northern Greek city of Thessaloniki when it detonated and killed her at around 5:00 a.m. local time on Saturday, May 3, local newspaper eKathimerini, Associated Press and Reuters reported. She is believed to have been attempting to plant the bomb outside the bank before it detonated prematurely in a parking lot next to the bank branch, at the intersection of Platonos and Agios Dimitriou, according to reports. The woman was rushed to Ippokrateio Hospital, where she died from her injuries, per eKathimerini. "It appears that she was carrying an explosive device and planned to plant it at a bank's ATM. Something went wrong and exploded in her hands," a senior police official told Reuters. Related: Suspicious Package Detonated in 'Controlled Explosion' Outside U.S. Embassy in London, Say Police Photos from the blast show several storefronts and vehicles damaged from the impact, with the windows blown off. The victim had a criminal record and was believed to be part of a circle closely tied to an 'anti-authoritarian figure' who is currently in jail for bank robberies and bombings, eKathimerini reported, citing police officials and the Ministry of Citizen Protection. Want to keep up with the latest crime coverage? Sign up for for breaking crime news, ongoing trial coverage and details of intriguing unsolved cases. In February 2024, the same group allegedly sent a parcel bomb to the Thessaloniki Court of Appeal. The incident remains under investigation by the anti-terrorism officers, according to the outlet. The woman was previously arrested with the same anti-authoritarian figure and jailed over a bank robbery after she was found 'carrying a Kalashnikov rifle in a backpack,' per eKathimerini. The Organized Crime Directorate is investigating the incident, the outlet reported. PEOPLE has contacted the police and the Ministry of Citizen Protection for comment. Read the original article on People
