21-member drug trafficking gang broken up by police
drug trafficking
20 Dec 2018
/ 15:04
CORFU. The 21-member gang was made up of 7 Greeks and 14 foreign nationals. All of the members were young and included 4 minors aged between 15 and 17.
Following several months of investigation Corfu Drug Squad managed to trace the 21-member organization of young people which was systematically trafficking large amounts of cannabis in Corfu Town and other areas on the island, especially in leisure centres for young people.
The particular feature of the investigation, as presented in the charge sheet, was that the 21 basic members were all young and included four who aged between 15 and 17. The people to whom they sold the unprocessed cannabis were in the same age group.
The coordinator of the organization is very young and several members are secondary school pupils who sold unprocessed cannabis to their fellow pupils. The illegal earnings of the organization over the last 8 months come to at least 150,000 Euros.
During the investigation over the last few months another 4 members had already been arrested for drug-related offences and are in custody.
Furthermore, it was confirmed that 140kg of unprocessed cannabis which was confiscated by Igoumenitsa Drug Squad on 17 August had been trafficked by a member of the organization - an 18-year-old foreign national - with estimated profits of €420,000.
Attica and Igoumenitsa Drug Squads collaborated with Corfu police in the investigation.
A 17-year-old foreign national was the coordinator of the organization and arranged the import of quantities of unprocessed cannabis which were then sold to young users, mainly in Corfu, by other members - each having a different role.
In a coordinated police operation on Wednesday 19 December 7 members of the organization were arrested - a 25-year-old Greek and a 16-year-old foreign national in Athens, a 15-year-old Greek in Igoumenitsa and 2 Greeks and 2 foreign nationals aged between 16 and 19 in Corfu.
The following were found in their possession and were confiscated:
- Packages with 1,070g of cannabis
- 2 electronic scales
- 670 Euros
- 5 mobile phones
The 7 members who were arrested plus the other 14 were charged with the felonies of forming a criminal organization and trafficking narcotics. Apart from the 7 other members had been arrested earlier.
Corfu Police Chief Yiannoulis made the following statement (in Greek):
The particular feature of the investigation, as presented in the charge sheet, was that the 21 basic members were all young and included four who aged between 15 and 17. The people to whom they sold the unprocessed cannabis were in the same age group.
The coordinator of the organization is very young and several members are secondary school pupils who sold unprocessed cannabis to their fellow pupils. The illegal earnings of the organization over the last 8 months come to at least 150,000 Euros.
During the investigation over the last few months another 4 members had already been arrested for drug-related offences and are in custody.
Furthermore, it was confirmed that 140kg of unprocessed cannabis which was confiscated by Igoumenitsa Drug Squad on 17 August had been trafficked by a member of the organization - an 18-year-old foreign national - with estimated profits of €420,000.
Attica and Igoumenitsa Drug Squads collaborated with Corfu police in the investigation.
A 17-year-old foreign national was the coordinator of the organization and arranged the import of quantities of unprocessed cannabis which were then sold to young users, mainly in Corfu, by other members - each having a different role.
In a coordinated police operation on Wednesday 19 December 7 members of the organization were arrested - a 25-year-old Greek and a 16-year-old foreign national in Athens, a 15-year-old Greek in Igoumenitsa and 2 Greeks and 2 foreign nationals aged between 16 and 19 in Corfu.
The following were found in their possession and were confiscated:
- Packages with 1,070g of cannabis
- 2 electronic scales
- 670 Euros
- 5 mobile phones
The 7 members who were arrested plus the other 14 were charged with the felonies of forming a criminal organization and trafficking narcotics. Apart from the 7 other members had been arrested earlier.
Corfu Police Chief Yiannoulis made the following statement (in Greek):
