Greek authorities stopped another drug trafficking channel: in port of Piraeus container with 1,080 boxes found bananasarrived from Ecuador. System check risk analysis, revealed smuggling of high purity cocaine.
The external refrigeration module of the container contained 34 homemade packs cocaine with a total weight of more than 39 kilograms. The drug was carefully disguised and distributed into hidden cavities of the cooling equipment.
The operation was carried out Drug Enforcement Department Main Directorate SDOE (now part of AAΔΕ), with the assistance Piraeus Customs And Department for Combating Organized Crime.
Experts estimate the seized lot at more than 1 million euros at market prices. The investigation is establishing links between this shipment and previous shipments of drugs coming from Latin America.
Investigators are sure to rule out that Piraeus used as transit hub for the European market. A search is underway for canal organizers and cargo recipients in Greece and beyond.
A series of cocaine finds in the port of Piraeus
Port of Piraeus increasingly becoming an arena for large seizures cocainecoming from Latin America. In almost all cases the drugs were hidden in containers with bananas or seafood and carefully hidden in refrigerated compartments. Below is a selection of major incidents in recent years.
| Date | Case description | Volume and source |
|---|---|---|
| August 2024 | Container with bananas from Ecuador. System check risk analysis. | ≈ 35 kg of cocaine, 30 packages, hidden in the refrigerator compartment. (Reuters) |
| May 2024 | Container with shrimp and seafood. | 210 kg of cocaine. Supply channel from Latin America. (Reuters) |
| June 2024 | Container with frozen squid. | ≈ 109 kg of cocaine (240 lb). (NY Post) |
| July 2025 | Arrest of six Piraeus port workers suspected of involvement in a smuggling channel. | Related to the supply of bananas from Ecuador. (Reuters) |
| October 2025 | Container with 1,080 boxes of bananas, 34 caches found in the refrigerator compartment. | 38 kg of cocaine. Cost – over 1 million €. (Ekathimerini) |
Conclusion
Since 2024, Piraeus has regularly appeared in reports of import attempts cocaine under the guise of legal cargo. The main route comes from Ecuador and Peru through Latin America. Drugs are hidden in refrigerated containers, mainly with bananas. The repeatability of the pattern shows the presence of resilient international networks and the vulnerability of port control.
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