The Mytilene Single Judge’s Court imposed non-suspensive prison sentences on a pair of Turkish nationals accused of violating Greek weapons legislation.
The 37-year-old man was given a 28-month sentence, while his 33-year-old wife was sentenced to 23 months in prison. The court did not grant any of the defence’s requests, including that for a stay of execution of the sentence until the case is heard in the second instance. As a result, the two convicts are being sent to prison.
The case began on Sunday, May 17, when the couple was spotted on arrival at the port of Mytilene. In a customs check carried out by officers of the ADSE in the woman’s vehicle, a total of 201 9mm cartridges were found, distributed in four packs of 50 pieces and an additional bullet.
During the search, gun cases and belts were also found, but no firearms were recovered, while authorities also seized 44 packets of contraband cigarettes from various companies. In addition, electronic devices and documents were seized, including a laptop computer, two mobile phones, two smartwatches and an envelope with 16 documents. Both the Greek Police and the Coast Guard participated in the operation.
During his apology, the 37-year-old claimed that the cartridges had been left in the trunk of the vehicle due to negligence. He said he works for a gold trading company in Turkey and has a legal firearms licence because of the security services he provides.
According to what was testified in court, in Turkey, possession of ammunition is not considered an offence when accompanied by a legal firearms licence. However, the court did not accept the claim of ignorance of Greek law.
It is worth noting that the prosecution’s proposal was even stricter, as it called for a three-and-a-half-year prison sentence for each of the two defendants. In the end, the court recognized the mitigating factor of a lawful prior life and proceeded with a lesser sentence.
