Heavy weapons for Turkish criminal organisation – Three arrests in Thessaloniki
Police prevented the trafficking of heavy weaponry to a Turkish criminal organisation, apprehending three individuals in Thessaloniki.
Seizure of heavy weapons in Thessaloniki – Three defendants charged over criminal organisation
Two men were arrested on Saturday afternoon in Thessaloniki whilst transporting a military rifle, an Uzi-type submachine gun and ammunition destined for members of a Turkish criminal organisation. Dikastiko.gr reports that a third defendant is involved in the operation, a 49-year-old Turkish national already held in a Greek detention facility.
The arrest of the two defendants at liberty – a 30-year-old Greek and a 36-year-old – was carried out by police officers from the Subdirectorate for Combating Organised Crime in Northern Greece. The operation was conducted with the assistance of the Office of Crimes against Life and Personal Freedom as well as the Department of Information and Special Operations, within the framework of an investigation into an imminent delivery of heavy weapons to members of a Turkish criminal organisation.
The two men were spotted as they were exiting a ground-floor storage space of a shop, holding a paper package and a bag. During the subsequent search, the 30-year-old refused to comply with police instructions and attempted to flee; he was immobilised at close range and arrested.
What was seized
From searches of the storage space, residences, vehicles and from the possession of the defendants, the following items were found and seized:
- Long-barrelled military rifle with free trigger without stock, wrapped in black nylon packaging and transparent adhesive tape
- Uzi-type submachine gun
- Magazine for the submachine gun, empty of ammunition
- Magazine for the military rifle, empty of ammunition
- Sight
- Stock for military rifle, wrapped in black nylon packaging and transparent adhesive tape
- Black bag containing 33 cartridges
- Four mobile telephone devices
- 30 tablets of pharmaceutical preparation
- Two sets of number plates for passenger vehicles
- Two UHF transceivers
- Passport issued by Greek authorities
Red Notice from Interpol for the third defendant
The 49-year-old Turkish national, who was already in a detention facility, was arrested again after it was determined that a Red Notice from the International Search Notices of Interpol Turkey was outstanding against him. He is wanted for serving a custodial sentence of more than ten years for the offence of continuing fraud through the use of information systems, banks or credit institutions.
A case file has been opened against all three defendants for – as appropriate – qualified unlawful possession of weapons, aiding and abetting qualified unlawful possession of weapons, possession of narcotic substances and disobedience, in combination with participation in a criminal organisation. According to the authorities, the defendants have been involved in the past for various offences.
The arrested individuals were taken before the competent prosecutor's office.
Source: Dikastiko.gr