Three local men from the city of Florina, in the north western part of Greece, are apparently members of an international drug trafficking ring that was operating in Greece, Serbia as well as the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM). Police officials said that the three men attempted to smuggle 123 kg of cocaine through the seaport of Thessaloniki. The same officials added that a further nine members were also arrested, five in Serbia and four in FYROM.
Authorities had received information that the drugs were hidden in a container from Bolivia which, according to its accompanying documents, was carrying agricultural machinery. The container with the drugs was spotted at the seaport of Thessaloniki on June 19. The three Greeks arrested are a bank director, a bank employee and a customs officer serving at the Customs Office of Niki, who had undertaken to study the way the cocaine would be transported from Thessaloniki to FYROM and then to Serbia.
Authorities also arrested a woman, a Serbian national, who lived together with the bank employee, after finding in their possession a small quantity of hashish and cocaine. A gun and a large number of cartridges were found in the house of the customs officer.