Police have seized more than 32,000 cannabis plants since the start of the year with most crops being grown in Crete and the Peloponnese, according to Public Order Ministry data seen by Kathimerini.

More than half of the plants (18,143) were detected in the remote mountains of Crete. while another 7,134 plants were uprooted in the Peloponnese.

“Cultivators usually place the cannabis in transport containers that are refrigerated and used to ship fresh fruit and vegetables. If we don’t have a tip-off, it is impossible to check all the containers that leave the island,” a senior police official said.

The number of pot plantations appears to have grown significantly in the last few years, based on the quantities confiscated. In 2002, police discovered 16,232 cannabis plants, while last year the figure shot up to 34,000 plants.