The former Greek owner of a cargo vessel seized by Spanish authorities in 2023 for transporting more than four tonnes of cocaine has denied any connection to drug trafficking, according to his lawyer.
The ship, Blume, which at the time was operated by a Greek company and registered under the Togo flag, was intercepted by Spanish authorities in January 2023 off the coast of the Canary Islands. Authorities discovered cocaine on board with an estimated street value of approximately $200 million, making it one of the largest drug seizures in Spain that year.
The vessel, which had departed from Brazil en route to Russia, was escorted to the island of Tenerife and its crew was arrested.
Last week, Greek authorities detained the ship’s former owner, aged 68, along with his 24-year-old son and a woman. All three appeared before a prosecutor on Friday to respond to charges, including alleged involvement in an international drug trafficking network dating back to at least 2021.
Their legal representative, Sakis Kehagioglou, stated that his clients deny any wrongdoing and expressed confidence that the investigation and any subsequent trial would confirm their innocence. He added that the ship’s crew had already been convicted in connection with the case.
The Greek authorities have not publicly identified the suspects. A fourth individual linked to the case is reportedly at large and believed to be in Turkey.
The same documents indicate that Blume had been under surveillance well before its interception. British police were first alerted to the suspected drug operation in September 2022. Following an examination of the vessel’s records, Spanish authorities concluded that the ship matched the profile of vessels used for ship-to-ship narcotics transfers.
The raid on 18 January 2023 resulted in the seizure of 153 bags of cocaine, found in a crew member’s cabin and a storage area. Investigators in Greece later established that the vessel had been acquired in 2022 by Rentoor Chartering and operated by Dignatio Corp, both companies registered in the Marshall Islands and allegedly established by the 68-year-old suspect, a former police officer with a criminal record.
The ship, which was subsequently renamed, was sold to a Turkish company in May.
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