NEWS

Man held over 4-ton drug haul

Nearly seven years after police in Piraeus seized the biggest ever batch of drugs ever found in Greece, one of the international operation’s suspected masterminds has been arrested in the Netherlands, sources said yesterday. Greece has already requested the extradition of Thomas Savage, an Irish national who has been on an Interpol wanted list since the May 10, 1997 seizure of four tons of marijuana. Five Greeks were arrested then, while warrants were issued against another two Greek and six foreign nationals suspected of participating in a powerful international drug cartel that had links in Southeast Asia and Ireland. Greek police recently received information that Savage was living in Amsterdam, and asked Dutch authorities to arrest and extradite him to be tried in Greece. The suspect was released pending the extradition hearing. The drugs were brought by the freighter Mare from the port of Sihanouk Ville in Cambodia, while the cartel is believed to have chosen Piraeus as a safe destination following a series of drugs seizures in other European harbors.

Subscribe to our Newsletters

Enter your information below to receive our weekly newsletters with the latest insights, opinion pieces and current events straight to your inbox.

By signing up you are agreeing to our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy.