Noor 1 planning was ‘meticulous’ says prosecutor

According to an appeal for tougher sentences for those found guilty of smuggling more than 2 tons of heroin into the country aboard the Noor 1 cargo ship in 2014, Piraeus prosecutor Maria Troupi describes the transport of the heroin from the Emirate of Ajman to Greece as an operation whose “meticulous” preparation had begun in September 2013 “at the latest.”

Troupi’s appeal, which Kathimerini has seen, was filed on August 12 and relates to eight of the 32 defendants. In early August, a criminal court handed five life sentences to five suspects, including the vessel’s former owner and the shipping agent who had leased it.

Meanwhile, new information regarding more suspects allegedly tied to the case has continued to surface through investigation work in Greece, Belgium and the Netherlands. According to sources, the Piraeus prosecutor is awaiting a response from an EU country regarding a request for legal assistance relating to the case.