New methods for drug cartels
Colombian drug cartels are switching tactics, preferring to produce cocaine closer to the area in which they plan to sell the narcotic rather than smuggling and risking its confiscation, police said yesterday. The statement came after the discovery on Tuesday at Anavyssos, southeast of Athens, of a narcotics laboratory that produced cocaine rather than simply packaging the drug. It is thought to be the first illegal drug lab of its kind in the EU, according to local authorities. A cartel is believed to have shipped the cocaine’s ingredients to Greece – substances that often are not directly targeted by authorities – for production in the lab. Police found in the possession of the five people arrested on Tuesday 26 kilos of cocaine. One of the two Venezuelan nationals arrested is believed to have come to Athens three months ago to set up the lab.
