Three years after Spanish authorities discovered 4.5 tons of cocaine hidden on a Greek-owned freighter in the Canary Islands, three key suspects have been arrested in Greece. These include a 26-year-old man identified as the sole partner of the company that owns the freighter, a close relative, and an employee of a company based in Piraeus. Charges include forming a criminal organization, drug trafficking, and money laundering.
The case dates back to January 2023 when Spanish authorities boarded the Blume, flying the Togolese flag, about 190 nautical miles from Santa Cruz de Tenerife. The ship had departed from Santos, Brazil, carrying 200 tons of coffee, and was bound for Riga, Latvia. Investigators found the cocaine, estimated to be worth over 200 million euros, concealed near the ship’s fire-fighting equipment. The crew, composed of 15 individuals including Egyptian, Pakistani, and Albanian nationals, was arrested on the spot.
While Spain acted swiftly, the investigation into the ownership of the Blume in Greece was unusually slow. The Narcotics Division of the Central Port Authority of Piraeus initiated a largely procedural preliminary investigation, but with no results. On the other hand, the anti-drug unit of the Hellenic Police, acting under a European investigation order, gained access to the Spanish dossier and forwarded it to the Piraeus prosecutor’s office, however, without conducting its own preliminary investigation.
The case only gained momentum after the Anti-Money Laundering Authority submitted a report to the central drug control division of the Hellenic Coast Guard (DIDINAL). Officials from that division, in collaboration with the Coast Guard’s Security Directorate (DAPTHAS), conducted a months-long investigation based on the authority’s findings. Their report was submitted to the Piraeus prosecutor’s office, leading to the issuance of arrest warrants under which the three suspects were finally detained. One of the suspects had been previously arrested in 2013 for transporting processed cannabis found in a warehouse near Athens.
