Greek Police Seize 500,000 Ecstasy Pills in EU’s Drug Trafficking Issue

Drug trafficking is one of the two leading illegal activities in Greece. (Wikimedia Commons)

The Greek police arrested three people involved in Greece’s ecstasy drug trade on September 25. They also seized 500,000 ecstasy pills in the arrest, equalling a street value of approximately 10 million euros ($11.63 million).

This incident is one of many in Greece as officials crack down on the widespread drug market. For many years, Greece has been a nexus for the drugs either destined for Western Europe or Turkey. The most common drug in Greece’s drug network is cannabis, usually originating from the Netherlands or Albania. Greece is also part of a prolific heroin and cocaine network. Heroin is typically smuggled from Pakistan and Afghanistan, while cocaine often comes from South America and sometimes passes through ports in Spain, the Netherlands, and Italy. Cocaine and heroin found in Greece are usually destined for other European countries, rather than feeding into Greece’s internal drug network.

The conversations regarding Greece’s drug market has prompted more concern for criminal activity in the country. As of 2017, drug and migrant activities were the two leading illegal activities in Greece. Gangs operating in Greece make more than an estimated 100 million euros ($118,308,500) each year through the drug trade. Many officials voiced concerns that drug trafficking in Greece upholds gangs who raise crime rates and perpetuate violence.

In the recent arrest, Greek police officers found 180,000 ecstasy pills in the truck of a 56-year-old truck driver who they arrested for his involvement. They later found 320,000 more pills in a car they stopped. They arrested two Iraqis, aged 49 and 52; one had been a long-time resident of the Netherlands, and the other a resident of Greece. An anonymous police official stated that the pills were likely manufactured in Western Europe and en route for Greek and Turkish markets, confirming the involvement of those arrested in Greece’s position as a transit spot for the drug markets between Europe and Western Asia. The officers continue to search for another Greek truck driver who may be involved in the business.

The arrest not only reflects a problem within Greece and its drug network but also a larger, EU-wide problem concerning drug trafficking. As of 2019, there were a reported 5,000 gangs in the EU involved in the drug market. Europol also reported that Europeans spend approximately 30 billion euros on drugs. Europol’s Executive Director Catherine de Bolle said, “Organized crime poses the highest and most diverse risk to the EU internal security and drug trafficking is the most prolific criminal activity.”

While the EU continues to work against drug trafficking throughout the region, Greece will continue to investigate its role in connecting various regional drug markets.