A 35-Gram Cocaine Find Leads Greek Authorities to Nearly €1 Million in Rhodes

A suspected 35-gram cocaine package set off an investigation that led Greek port authorities from Piraeus to Rhodes and nearly 1 million euros in seized cash.

The case began on the morning of Aug. 27, 2026, in Piraeus, when officers from the port’s narcotics and security units inspected passengers and luggage after a ship arrived from Rhodes. With the help of the narcotics-detection dog “BRAT K9N044,” they found a 62-year-old Greek man entering the unaccompanied-baggage area and collecting a suitcase.

Inside the suitcase, officers found a nylon package containing 35 grams of suspected cocaine. They also found 0.9 grams of suspected cannabis in a tobacco pouch and seized a mobile phone. A search of the man’s home, conducted in the presence of a judicial official, uncovered two packages of raw cannabis weighing 2.9 and 11.4 grams, a metal spoon with cocaine residue, a glass device for vaporizing drugs and another phone. Authorities also found that an existing administrative travel ban applied to him.

Investigators then focused on Rhodes, where they sought a 45-year-old Albanian national whom the port authority identified as the apparent sender of the cocaine. He had an employment relationship with a one-person private company that appeared to operate in real estate. A search of the company’s branch, carried out with a prosecutor present, produced what authorities considered suspicious evidence.

The largest finding was €949,658.38 in cash. The port authority said the company had no supporting documents for possessing or storing the money. Officers also seized numerous point-of-sale terminals, cards from various financial institutions, mobile phones, data-storage devices and handwritten notes. The official announcement said the findings created serious indications of drug trafficking, money laundering and participation in a criminal organization.