Yesterday, a large scale police operation uncovered an organised crime syndicate have been operating a cannabis plantation in Eastern Mani together with a discovery of firearms and communications equipment potentially used by those involved. Four arrests have been made, one a 61-year old resident and three foreigners, aged 21, 31 and 39 years. The full story is translated from today’s article from Tharros below:-

The in-depth investigations and the utilization of appropriate and combined data as well as the results of natural and scientific methods, led the police officers of the Narcotics Prosecution Team of the Department of Prosecution and Investigation of Crimes of Sparta, to the dismantling of a criminal group, whose members were active in the cultivation of cannabis seedlings, in a specially designed and suitably cleared area with natural cover, aiming at the harvesting and subsequent trafficking of cannabis seedlings. the reap of great economic benefit.

For the dismantling of the criminal group, a large-scale police operation was carried out yesterday morning, in Kokkala, in the municipality of Eastern Mani, by police officers of the Drug Prosecution Team of the Crime Prosecution and Investigation Department of Sparta, with the assistance of police officers of the Laconia Police Directorate, the Traffic Police Department of Sparta and the Crime Prevention and Suppression Team (OPKE) of Laconia.

As part of the operation, a 61-year-old resident was arrested, as well as -3- foreigners, aged 20, 31 and 39 years old, respectively, members of the criminal group, against whom a case file was formed for criminal organization, drugs and for the offense of violation of the law on weapons.

In particular, yesterday (30.8.2025) in the morning, after appropriate utilization of information and data, an organized police operation was carried out in an inaccessible agroforestry area of the municipality of Eastern Mani, during which a cannabis plantation was located, in a specially designed and suitably cleared area with natural cover, in which a total of -2,257- cannabis seedlings, up to -1.70- meters high, were cultivated, which were uprooted and confiscated together with the corresponding irrigation and cultivation equipment found at the site.

Furthermore, in searches carried out at the homes of the arrested, as well as in their possession, the following were found and confiscated:

• a small amount of cannabis,
• Shotgun
• agricultural equipment,
• the sum of -150- euros,
• -5- mobile phones, as a means of facilitating the commission of criminal acts, and
• -2- vehicles, as means of committing criminal acts.

The arrested will be brought to justice, while the police investigation and the preliminary investigation work are carried out by the Department of Prosecution and Investigation of Crimes of Sparta.