Cannabis

A 27-year-old Brazilian man who swallowed 95 packages containing a total of 1.7 kilos of cocaine was arrested on Thursday at Athens International Airport.

Police said the man flew into Athens from Sao Paolo via Zurich.

He appeared before an Athens prosecutor later in the day.

Police in the northern port city of Thessaloniki arrested five people believed to be members of a gang selling drugs in the area around Aristotle University, in a large-scale sweep over the last 24 hours.

Two of those arrested are also accused of resisting arrest.

Turkish venture firm TechnoArge has created an x-ray scanner for airports made with a cannabis-based composite that prevents radiation from spreading to the environment.

Police in Thessaloniki said Tuesday that they had arrested six foreign nationals for drug possession and dealing inside and around the city's Aristotle University.

The six suspects - who are from Algeria, Iraq, Syria and Albania - were arrested as part of ongoing efforts by police in the northern port city to curb lawlessness in and around university campuses.

Police in the Peloponnese on Friday were questioning three suspected members of a drug racket believed to have been active in the region of Ilia.

The suspects - three men aged 42, 53 and 58 - were detained following months of investigation and after searches on their homes turned up cannabis, precision scales and 12,650 euros in cash.

A Canadian company announced it acquired 150,000 acres for cannabis production in Bulgaria, Dnevnik reported. At the end of last year, International Cannabis Corp announced that it acquired 100% of the assets of the Balkan Cannabis Corp, which claims to own the land in Bulgaria and the necessary licenses for production of hemp and cannabis for medical purposes.

Police near the Krystallopigi border crossing in Florina, northern Greece, have intercepted a vehicle carrying a large quantity of illegal drugs into Greece, it was announced on Friday.

A 50-year-old man has been arrested for setting up a hydroponic cannabis growing system in a house on the island of Salamina, near Athens.

Police, who arrested the suspect on Tuesday, said the cannabis was being cultivated for illegal sale.

Members of the Greek Police's anti-narcotics unit on Monday found a fully equipped hydroponic cannabis growing system that had illegally been set up in an apartment in Exarchia, central Athens, and arrested two people.

According to reports, the two suspects - a 29-year-old foreign national and a 26-year-old woman - stored their produce in another apartment, also in Exarchia. 

News that the Greek government has issued the country's first licenses for growing medical cannabis to two private firms has been greeted warmly by patients and businesses alike.