In Brief
CANNABIS SEIZED
More than 170 kilos intercepted on Greek-Albanian border Police yesterday discovered 118 kilos of cannabis hidden aboard a truck that entered Greece on the Greek-Albanian border near Ioannina. The driver abandoned the vehicle and escaped from police when signaled to stop for an inspection. Separately, three Albanian men were arrested on a mountain trail also near the Greek-Albanian border allegedly carrying 55 kilograms of cannabis stuffed into sacks. The men were taken into police custody and were due to be charged with drug trafficking, officers said. ATM FRAUD Two Romanians suspected of copying bank account, PIN details Two Romanian men, aged 23 and 53, were arrested on Friday accused of copying bank details from unsuspecting customers who withdrew money from ATM machines, it was revealed yesterday. Police said that the suspects had installed in a number of ATM machines a metal plate that copies account numbers and PIN details. The operation, which mainly targeted banks in northern Athens, is thought to have earned the men 76,000 euros since May. CLIMBER HURT Helicopter flies woman to safety A 46-year-old mountain climber was seriously injured on Mount Olympus yesterday after she slipped and fell into a 20-meter ravine, authorities said. With the help of a helicopter, authorities transported the Serbian woman from the point where she had fallen, at a height of 2,600 meters, to a nearby hospital. Spartathlon American Scott Jurek, who on Saturday won the Spartathlon ultra-marathon, was honored last night during an awards ceremony at Zappeion Hall organized by the Stavros Niarchos Foundation. Jurek finished the 246-kilometer (153-mile) annual race from Athens to Sparta in 22 hours and 52 minutes. Japan’s Inagaki Sumie was the best female competitor with a time of 28 hours and 37 minutes. Mail theft A female post office employee was robbed at gunpoint in Aghioi Anargyroi, western Athens, yesterday, according to police. A male motorcyclist is said to have approached the woman, threatened her with a gun, and then taken from her a bag full of mail. Flats robbed Three unidentified men broke into a fifth-story apartment in Palaio Faliron, southeastern Athens, early yesterday and robbed an 82-year-old woman and her live-in house maid, police said. The men entered the woman’s apartment through the balcony doors at about 4.15 a.m. and then tied up the two women. The culprits then broke into the apartment next door but fled after being confronted by the owner. Passport centers Police yesterday inaugurated two new passport centers in Athens. The first office is in Palaio Faliron, on Aiantos Street, and the second is located in Zografou, on Iroon Polytechniou Street. Coordinated efforts Coordinated police operations from 12 countries, including Greece, have resulted in the discovery of 460 women who had been the victims of human trafficking, authorities said yesterday. The operations, which are carried out every month, have also resulted in the conviction of 31 suspects for people trafficking and charges being brought against another 207 people. Officials from Albania, Turkey, the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM) and Bulgaria are taking part in the coordinated efforts that also target other crimes, such as narcotics trading and car theft. Visa changes The US Embassy in Athens said yesterday that it will implement a new visa application procedure as of October 15. All applicants must complete a non-immigrant visa form electronically and in English. The completed form then needs to be printed and brought to the embassy interview with a photo and the appropriate documentation. More details can be acquired by calling 90.11.230.7030.
