It was supposed to be a harmless boat trip off the island of Skopelos, Greece, but the constant coming and going of a yacht rented by a group of Italians aroused the suspicion of the Greek authorities who, when they stopped the boat, found on board protected corals worth almost one million euros. The group of Italians regularly rented a pleasure boat in Greece to collect protected corals and resell them in an illegal scheme that is suspected to be international in scope.
Months of investigations by the General Directorate of Financial Transaction Control Forces (DEOS), responsible for fighting tax evasion and smuggling, led to the arrest of the Italian crew of the vessel off the island of Skopelos, on charges of smuggling.
The ‘suspicious’ deliveries and the investigations
According to information from the Greek news agency Ana, the case emerged through checks carried out by Deos which, by applying risk analysis criteria to a specific transport company, identified deliveries of suspicious goods, accompanied by customs declarations with unclear descriptions. The company’s movements attracted the attention of the control authorities who led them to a specific vessel off the coast of Skopelos, rented to Italian citizens for recreational purposes, but involved in frequent and repeated shipments by sea, mainly to Italian ports.
Thus, following a targeted inspection, significant quantities of protected corals according to European regulations on marine space were identified on board the vessel. Among the material found on board are diving equipment, cutting tools and improvised warehouses for storing corals, elements that indicate an organized and repeated activity.
Corals intended for jewellery
The total value of the cargo, according to initial estimates, amounts to at around 800 thousand euros, taking into account international prices for red coral and related materials used in jewelry and high-value decorative objects. The ANA agency reports that investigations are underway to identify any other accomplices of the organization in Greece while, “in collaboration with the Italian authorities, the recipient of the illegal cargo is being sought, without excluding the possibility that it is an international organization also active in other countries”.