Greek authorities seize 21.6 tons of contraband ethyl alcohol for adulteration of beverages

A significant amount of contraband ethyl alcohol, intended for the adulteration of alcoholic beverages, was seized by the Independent Public Revenue Authority (AADE).

Specifically, after utilizing information that it had at noon on Saturday, the AADE’s Thessaloniki Customs Control Service, through the Bulgarian Customs Administration, raised an alarm in the area of northern Greece for the detection of a specific truck with Serbian license plates. The case concerned the transport of contraband ethyl alcohol, with a cover load of windshield wiper fluids, in the name of a consignee that the auditors of ELYT Thessaloniki AADE Customs found to be non-existent. The Economic Police of Thessaloniki were also involved in the case and after coordinated actions the truck was located at the Malgari toll station and was placed under surveillance. In the midnight hours of Saturday and after AADE Customs of Attica and Economic Police of Attica successively took the baton, the truck ended up in a closed parking lot in the Aspropyrgos area, where the drivers parked it during the night hours. On Sunday morning, the truck was moved to another parking lot in the area where, since it could not be established whether any interference with the load was taking place, after consultation between the two Prosecuting Authorities at the highest level, it was decided to check the truck immediately.

Then and after police officers located the two Serbian drivers in a hotel in the area and took them to the parking lot, AADE customs inspectors and police officers searched the truck and found 21.6 tons of contraband ethyl alcohol instead of the declared cargo.

The laboratory analysis results of the AADE Chem lab showed that the alcoholic strength of ethyl alcohol is 96.3% by volume.

The evaded duties and taxes would reach 667,000 euros.

The driver and the owner of the truck, a Serbian citizen, were arrested and taken to the Athens Prosecutor. The fine that will be imposed will exceed 2,000,000.00 euros.

The customs prosecuting authorities of AADE continue the investigation in order to identify the final recipients of the contraband cargo.