Cash, cigarettes and... dogs confiscated by tax officials at customs

The Customs Offices of the Independent Authority for Public Revenue continue to carry out their activities consistently at the country's borders, according to the IAPR.

Using modern technology, such as X-ray machines, and specially trained detection dogs, they are systematically combating the illegal trafficking of cash, tobacco and alcohol products, narcotics, counterfeit goods, and energy products.

In the second half of 2025, targeted checks by customs inspectors led to significant results, with numerous seizures and the detection of illegal activities at airports, ports, and border stations throughout the country.

Indicatively, during these months, the following were seized in total:

• €773,355, $101,230, 10,815 Canadian dollars, 112,000 Turkish lira, 9,900 shekels, 130 British pounds, 5,850 Russian rubles, 17,840 Ukrainian hryvnia, 605,500 Hungarian forints, 2,573 Chinese yuan, 47,540 Serbian dinars, 11,000 Polish zlotys, bank checks worth €21,101 and 995,197 Turkish lira, 14 gold coins and 3 gold bars
• 4,715,310 cigarettes, 231 kg of tobacco, 425 cigars, and 10,780 heated tobacco sticks
• 96 bottles of illegal alcoholic beverages
• 27,448 contraband items (bags, clothing, pills, knives, etc.) and 6,262 counterfeit items
• 168 kg of cannabis, 506 kg of hashish, 1,010,650 drug tablets, etc.

In detail:

A. Undeclared cash

AtEleftherios VenizelosAirport, with the assistance of detection dogs "Hant" and "Camora," the following were detected:

• €1,165, $107, 10,815 Canadian dollars, and 14 gold coins from a passenger from Toronto
• €15,000 from a passenger from Cairo
• €2,165, $12,750, and 9,800 shekels from a passenger from Tel Aviv
• €7,500 and $4,200 from a passenger from Amman
• €79,695 to a passenger from Cairo

AtMacedoniaAirport, with the assistance of the detection dog "Elvis," the following were detected:

• €92,325, $26,173, 8,600 Turkish lira, 100 shekels, 10 British pounds, 5,850 Russian rubles, 17,840 Ukrainian hryvnia, and 2,573 Chinese yuan to passengers upon their arrival from Istanbul
• €10,920 to a passenger upon arrival from Tel Aviv
• €8,360, $10,000, and 120 British pounds from a passenger arriving from London.

AtKakavia Customs, a total of €30,000 was detected.

At Mavromati Customs, a total of €28,000 was detected.

At Kastaneon Customs, a total of €103,570, 605,500 Hungarian forints, and $23,700 were found.

A total of €15,000 was found at the Krystallopigi Customs Office.

At Evzoni Customs, a total of €266,385, $24,300, 47,540 Serbian dinars, 11,000 Polish zloty, 7,800 Turkish lira, bank checks worth €21,101, Turkish checks worth 995,197 lira, and 3 gold bars weighing a total of 155 grams.

At the commercial port of Rhodes, during a check on ship passengers, €17,385 and 95,600 Turkish lira were found in the bag of a passenger from Turkey.

B. Contraband tobacco products

At Athens International Airport "Eleftherios Venizelos" with the assistance of the detection dog "Bane":

• A total of 20 passengers arriving from Cairo, Addis Ababa, Yerevan, and Istanbul, who were carrying a total of 821,400 cigarettes, 1.8 kg of fine-cut tobacco for hand-rolled cigarettes, 28 kg of tobacco for hookahs, and 20.7 kg of cigars in their luggage.
• A total of 9 passengers departing from Athens to Paris, Madrid, London, Montpellier, Tel Aviv, and Rome were arrested, carrying a total of 411,400 cigarettes in their luggage.
• A total of 1,696,320 cigarettes, 2 kg of finely cut tobacco for hand-rolled cigarettes, and 170 kg of tobacco for hookahs were found and confiscated in abandoned luggage with no passenger or flight details.

• 25 cigars were found in a postal parcel from Saint Dominica.
• 149,980 cigarettes in parcels sent by post to the United Kingdom and Germany.
• 400 cigarillos in a postal parcel from Switzerland.

AtMacedoniaAirport, a passenger from Cairo was found to be in possession of 90,000 cigarettes.

At Kastaneon Customs, 47,800 cigarettes and 1,500 grams of tobacco were found and confiscated.

At Patras Customs, 6,820 cigarettes and 1,450 grams of tobacco were found and confiscated.

At the Drama Customs Office, 3,400 cigarettes were found and confiscated.

At the Mytilene Customs Office, 3,040 cigarettes and 1,075 grams of tobacco were found and confiscated.

At the Evzoni Customs Office, with the help of detection dogs "Boika" and "Aria," 1,485,150 cigarettes, 24,790 grams of tobacco, and 10,780 heated tobacco sticks.

C. Illegal alcoholic products and distillation equipment

At the Mytilene Customs Office, 6 bottles of alcoholic beverages were found and confiscated.

At the Drama Customs Office, 24 bottles of alcoholic beverages were found and confiscated.

At the Evzoni Customs Office, 7 bottles of alcoholic beverages, 23 liters of alcoholic distillation products, and 36 liters of wine were found and confiscated.

At the Kastoria Customs Office, a fully operational still (cauldron) was found and confiscated during a physical inspection, which was operating without the required distillation license. The inspectors proceeded to seal the machine and confiscate the raw materials (grapes).

D. Smuggling

At Eleftherios Venizelos Airport, 2,786 tablets containing the substance pregabalin were found and confiscated in a postal parcel sent to Germany.

At Evzonon Customs:

• • 24,290 bags, 330 pieces of various clothing, and 80 liters of diesel fuel were located and confiscated.
• • A truck arrived with a loaded container and declared cargo of chemicals and refrigerant gas. During the inspection, when the driver was instructed to weigh the truck, he abandoned the truck and fled. The inspection revealed that the container was empty. The truck was then confiscated.

In a coordinated operation by inspectors from Larissa and Thessaloniki, a ship flying the Marshall Islands flag and anchored in the port of Thessaloniki was inspected. During the inspection, significant discrepancies were found in the ship's fuel consumption quantities and a report on smuggling was drawn up in accordance with customs regulations, while a total of €56,672.81 was paid and collected for evaded duties and taxes The amount of €56,672.81 was paid and collected.

At the Mytilene Customs Office, following an inspection of a foreign passenger's vehicle, a knife with a total length of 24 cm was found and confiscated. The case has been forwarded to the Mytilene Customs Judicial Office for assessment and the case file to the competent prosecutor for criminal prosecution.

At the Mavromati Customs Inspection Station of the Igoumenitsa Customs Office, inspectors found a folding knife with a blade longer than 10 cm.

At the Kipoi Customs Office, during an inspection of a vehicle coming from Turkey, 24 packages of veterinary pharmaceuticals were found inside the cabin. A subsequent inspection revealed that these were freeze-dried live vaccines against sheep and goat pox, of Turkish origin, the import and marketing of which is prohibited in the EU due to an increased risk to public and animal health.

At the commercial port of Rhodes, during a check on ship passengers, a knife with a 16 cm blade was found in the luggage of a foreign passenger and confiscated. The passenger was arrested and referred to the Rhodes Public Prosecutor for violation of the law on weapons. In addition, a fine was imposed for customs violation/smuggling, which was collected immediately.

At the Evzoni Customs Office, during a physical inspection carried out on a truck with Serbian license plates, which was transporting declared goods (empty clay boxes), it was found that, in addition to the above items, five live dogs (puppies) were also being transported without the necessary identification documents and supporting documents. An attempt was made to import the animals illegally into the country in order to avoid paying the corresponding customs duties and taxes. The dogs were not allowed to enter due to the lack of the required documents. Following this, all the procedures for their return to the country of origin were followed.

E. Counterfeit goods

The following items were seized at Eleftherios Venizelos Airport:

• 5,280 items (plush toys) on a commercial bill of lading from China.
• 622 items (wristwatches, sunglasses, clothing, stickers) in a parcel sent to Belgium.
• 332 items (clothing, wristwatches) in the luggage of passengers arriving from Cairo and Addis Ababa.
• 28 items (belts, clothing, bags) in a postal parcel from China.

G. Drugs

At the Mavromati Customs Control Station of the Igoumenitsa Customs Office, during an X-ray inspection, inspectors detected the presence of suspicious substances in the luggage of a citizen leaving the country. In cooperation with the Drug Enforcement Department of the Igoumenitsa Sub-Directorate for Crime Prevention and Investigation, a physical inspection revealed that he was carrying the following in his luggage:

• 1 package containing hallucinogenic mushrooms.
• 2 ampoules of cannabis oil for use with an electronic device (containing the substance tetrahydrocannabinol).
• 3 pharmaceutical packages containing the active substances buprenorphine and naloxone.

At Athens International Airport "Eleftherios Venizelos," the following items were found and confiscated from passengers' luggage and merchandise with the help of detection dogs "Diego," "Hant," "Camora," and "Bane":

• 1,010,650 tablets containing the substances midazolam, clonazepam, tramadol, and pseudoephedrine in the luggage of three passengers traveling from Nairobi to Tirana. The passengers were arrested and brought before the public prosecutor under the summary procedure.
• 90.8 kg of cannabis in a commercial shipping container from Spain.
• 9.6 g of cannabis in a parcel from the USA. This was followed by the arrest of one person by the Hellenic Police.
• 9.1 g of cannabis in a parcel from the UK sent by post. This was followed by the arrest of one person by the Hellenic Police.
• 506 kg of khat in two commercial shipping cartons from Israel to the US.
• 50 vaporizers containing substances D9-THC, CBD CBN, followed by the arrest of one person by the Hellenic Police.

Inspectors from the 10th Department of the Komotini Customs Office, with the assistance of the detection dog "Unox" from the Kipoi Customs Office, during an inspection at the Nymfaia Border Station, found in a car with Bulgarian license plates containing packages of raw cannabis, weighing a total of 77 kg. The drugs were confiscated and the driver was arrested in flagrante delicto and taken to the competent prosecuting authorities.

H. Other violations

During a physical inspection carried out by inspectors at the Mavromati customs station in Igoumenitsa, a fixed x-ray machine was used to detect, in the luggage of an Albanian national leaving Greece for Albania, a metal-framed firearm and 108 unfired cartridges. The owner of the weapon was also arrested.

Inspectors from the 6th Department of the Larissa Traffic Police carried out a targeted inspection at a used car dealership in the Prefecture of Trikala. During the inspection, 102 vehicles were found to be in commercial use, despite being required to be immobilized, as well as 3 vehicles for which registration fees had not been paid. An administrative fine of €1,050,000 was imposed for the violations.

506 kg of khat in cardboard boxes in two commercial shipments from Israel to the USA.