Greek police seize over five million packets of smuggled cigarettes

Athens: Greek police on Thursday seized more than five million packets of smuggled cigarettes destined for Germany, Belgium and Ukraine.

They discovered a first consignment in a truck with German number plates on a motorway linking Athens to Salonika in the north of the country, and arrested the Bulgarian driver, a police press release said.

The find led them to a warehouse some 60 kilometres (35 miles) from Athens, containing three more trucks with German or Bulgarian plates loaded with various brands of cigarettes.

The haul, destined for Germany and Belgium, totalled 3.7 million packs.

Another 1.5 million packs were seized in an inspection of a Sierra Leonean-flagged freighter intercepted near Ikaria island in the Aegean sea. The crew of five Ukranians was arrested.

The ship had sailed away from Famagusta in Turkish-held northern Cyprus and was on its way to Ukraine.