"The Coast Guard has delivered another decisive blow against organised crime, arresting leading members of an international cocaine cartel," said Maritime Affairs and Insular Policy Minister Vassilis Kikilias on Thursday, following the announcement of the arrest of three Greeks allegedly involved in the transport of a huge quantity of cocaine, weighing 4,223.75 kilos. The drugs had been discovered by Spanish authorities on January 18, 2023, off the coast of Las Palmas, on the cargo ship BLUME, flying the Togo flag.

The Hellenic Coast Guard, specifically officers in the Coast Guard's Directorate for the Prosecution of Drugs and Smuggling, proceeded to arrest three Greeks, alleged to be leading members of a criminal organisation with international activity.

They are two men aged 24 and 68, respectively, and a 49-year-old woman.