Evros: Two Turkish nationals attempted to smuggle 50 “ghost guns” into Greece
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The case has common elements with two other incidents in the recent past. The weapons would likely have ended up in Greece and Europe in the hands of members of Turkish criminal organisations.
- 03 Ιουλίου 2026 11:39
Two Turkish nationals were arrested in Thrace by officers of the Sub-Directorate for Combating Organised Crime of Northern Greece, and are accused of importing and trafficking illegal arms from Turkey into Greece, with the aim of supplying criminal groups.
Prior to this, appropriate use of intelligence information was made, and analysis of the data showed that a large quantity of weapons was about to be transported via international freight trucks. To prevent this illegal activity, a coordinated police operation was designed and carried out by officers of the Office for Combating Illegal Trafficking and Trade of Objects and the Operational Teams Office of the Sub-Directorate for Combating Organised Crime of Northern Greece in the Thrace region.
As part of the operation, on the evening of Wednesday, 1 July, two international freight trucks were identified after entering Greek territory through a border crossing in the Evros region. Surveillance showed that the driver of the first truck was acting as a scout, checking the route for any police presence.
During the immobilisation and inspection of the second truck, a travel bag and a suitcase were found carefully hidden under the cabin bed and behind the driver’s seat. Inside them, 50 pistols and 49 magazines were found, hermetically sealed and seized. The truck used for transporting the weapons was also confiscated.
Notably, the seized weapons bore no serial numbers (so-called “ghost guns”), similar to previous cases handled by the Sub-Directorate for Combating Organised Crime of Northern Greece on 4 October and 25 May 2026.
They would likely have ended up in Greece and Europe in the hands of members of Turkish criminal organisations. It is noted that in Turkey there is a branch of an Austrian arms manufacturing company, and it is possible that organised crime in Turkey has found a way to obtain weapons directly from the source.
A case file has been formed against the arrested individuals for participation in a criminal organisation and violation of weapons legislation, and they will be brought before the competent prosecuting authority.
