Greek-US operation targets major drug smuggling network

Greek authorities have detained five individuals suspected of belonging to an international drug trafficking network responsible for transporting around seven tonnes of cocaine from Venezuela to Europe aboard a fishing vessel registered in Greece.

The arrests, carried out across different regions of Greece, came after a joint investigation with the US Drug Enforcement Administration, one official, speaking on condition of anonymity, confirmed, Caliber.Az reports via Reuters.

Among those arrested was believed to be the ringleader of the operation.

The vessel had departed from a small port in Thessaloniki, in northern Greece, en route to Latin America.

Investigators suspect it later took on up to seven tonnes of cocaine off the coast of Venezuela, though authorities have not revealed the ship’s intended final destination.

In addition, French authorities detained another five people aboard the vessel. Over the past two days, the French Navy escorted the ship across the Atlantic, and it is scheduled to dock at a French port.

Greek investigators have also launched an inquiry into the ship’s owner, who has a prior criminal record linked to drug offences.

Greece has intensified its efforts against drug smuggling in recent years, as Europe has emerged as a major market for cocaine.

According to the European Drug Report 2025, cocaine is the second most widely used illegal drug in Europe after cannabis, with record quantities seized in recent years, reflecting both high market demand and the resilience of trafficking routes into EU countries.

European law enforcement has reported that most large narcotics seizures occur in EU ports, where smugglers use commercial shipping containers to import cocaine, underscoring the scale of the continent’s role as a major market and transit point for the drug.

Annual drug trafficking in the EU is valued in the tens of billions of euros, with cocaine accounting for a substantial share of the illegal trade, highlighting persistent demand across European consumer markets.

By Jeyhun Aghazada