Vast cannabis plantations in Peloponnese: Over 3,000 plants and millions in profits
Organised police operations in Arcadia and Messenia revealed massive illegal cultivation. Four foreign nationals were arrested, with two more still being sought.
Vast cannabis plantations in Peloponnese: Over 3,000 plants and millions in profits
Organised operations by the Greek police in two provinces of the Peloponnese led to the discovery of almost 3,100 cannabis plants and the arrest of four individuals allegedly involved in cultivation and distribution networks.
The first case was discovered in South Cynuria, Arcadia. There, police from the Tripoli Prosecution Department identified 1,561 plants on a barren plot with natural cover that hindered detection from the air. Two Albanian men, aged 44 and 21, were apprehended at the scene. A third associate, also a foreign national, remains at large. According to estimates, production from this plot could have reached one tonne of raw cannabis, generating illegal profits of over €3,000,000 for the heads of the organisation.
A few hours earlier, a similar operation had been set up in a forested zone of Messenia, in the area near the village of Dendroulia. Officers from the Narcotics Prosecution Department in Patras, following a month of surveillance, entered a site containing 1,532 plants arranged across seven different levels within dense vegetation. The plants were up to 2.2 metres in height and were in a growth phase. Two foreign nationals, aged 32 and 27, were arrested. They had been living within the plantation to protect and care for it. The site contained makeshift shelters with tents and sleeping bags. A 46-year-old Greek man from Phoenikunta is being sought in connection with the same case, believed to have held a coordinating role.
Authorities estimate that the Messenia batch would have yielded at least 766 kilogrammes of raw material, with illegal financial gain ranging from €1.5 to €2.3 million.
The second operation involved officers from the EKAM unit, OPKE teams from Patras and Aegialeia, as well as the Support Squadron of the Achaia Police Directorate.
Source: ERT