Tax Authority: Millions of smuggled cigarettes, drugs and €2 million in undeclared cash at customs
Sweeping inspections by the Independent Authority of Public Revenue at customs during the first half of 2026 uncovered undeclared cash, millions of smuggled cigarettes, narcotics and thousands of counterfeit products.
Mass seizures at Greek customs in the first half of 2026
More than €2.06 million in undeclared cash, over 4 million smuggled cigarettes, significant quantities of narcotics and 31,013 counterfeit products — this is the tally of inspections conducted by the Independent Authority of Public Revenue (AAΔE) at customs throughout the country during the first half of 2026, according to dnews.gr.
The Independent Authority of Public Revenue announced that customs officials conducted targeted operations at airports, ports and border crossings, using X-Ray systems and trained detection dogs.
Undeclared cash and gold
In the area of liquid assets, beyond the €2.06 million seized, customs officers also confiscated 91,723 US dollars, as well as large sums in British and Turkish pounds, dinars, leks, leva and Swiss francs. The discoveries included a bank cheque valued at 191,357 Romanian lei, 60 gold coins and six gold bars with a combined weight of 190 grammes.
At Evzones Customs alone, over €707,000 was detected. At Kipes Customs, €707,577 was uncovered, together with 10,400 dollars, significant amounts in other currencies, the 60 gold coins and the six gold bars. Undeclared sums of money were also recorded at Eleftherios Venizelos, Makedonia, Kakavía, Kastaniés and Mytilene.
Smuggled tobacco and counterfeit goods
At Athens airport, 17 passengers were apprehended for carrying a total of 697,980 cigarettes and 2,806 cigars in their luggage. In abandoned bags, more than 2.3 million cigarettes were discovered. At national level, the total number of confiscated tobacco products amounted to 4,126,057 cigarettes, 70 kilogrammes of tobacco, 3,346 cigars and 29,340 heated tobacco sticks.
Of the 31,013 illegal and counterfeit items seized in total — clothing, shoes, watches, bags and sunglasses — over 22,000 were found at Kipes, bearing forged trademarks of well-known companies. At Eleftherios Venizelos, thousands of imitation items were discovered in luggage and postal parcels.
Narcotics, weapons and unusual cases
The inspections yielded 129 kilogrammes of khat, 25 kilogrammes of cannabis and 574 grammes of THC. At Athens airport, detection dogs contributed to the identification of khat and cannabis in luggage and parcels, whilst at Ormeniο 11 kilogrammes of raw cannabis were found hidden inside electronic device packaging.
In Mytilene, a section of a petrified tree trunk from the Petrified Forest of Lesbos, valued at over €7,000, was confiscated. In connection with the case, a foreign female passenger was apprehended; the item is to be returned to the corresponding Museum of Natural History. At Kipes, two red macaw parrots were also found.
In the area of illegal weapons, a total of 528 items were recorded. At Kipes, air guns, CO2 cartridges and metal pellets were confiscated; in Mytilene, knives, stilettos, daggers and a folding metal baton were found in vehicles from Turkey. The holders were apprehended and the case files were forwarded to the competent prosecutorial authorities.
False declarations and other violations
At the 1st Customs Office of Thessaloniki, 855 large one-tonne sacks of urea were confiscated due to false declaration of origin. From two cases of false declaration and tariff classification, a total of €280,308 was collected. The operations also covered illegal medicines and pesticides, smuggled alcoholic beverages, fuel and mobile phones.
Source: Google News GR — Crime (el)