ATHENS (Reuters) -Greek and German police have dismantled a criminal ring smuggling cocaine hidden in trucks from Spain into Greece and other European countries, police said late on Sunday.
Two suspected members of the gang were arrested in Greece and another three were arrested in Germany last week, police said in a statement. More suspected members of the gang remained at large in Spain and in Germany.
The estimated profit of the gang so far is more than 5 million euros ($5.85 million), the statement said.
The members were hiding the drugs in trucks transporting goods internationally or used trucks to enter Spain legally in order to get the drugs. The vehicles were mainly registered in Bulgaria for companies of Greek interests, while the drivers were Greek and Bulgarian nationals, the statement added.
More than 300 kg of cocaine have been confiscated during raids in Greece and Germany over the past days. The two countries joined forces following an investigation launched on a tip by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, police officials said.
Greece has stepped up the fight against drug trafficking in recent years as Europe has become a top market for cocaine.
($1 = 0.8542 euros)
(Reporting by Yannis Souliotis; Writing by Renee Maltezou; Editing by Christian Schmollinger)
