The lawsuit of 147 pistols, discovered successful the Evros portion adjacent the Greek-Turkish borderline is shaping up to beryllium 1 of the astir confusing episodes of caller months.
On the 1 side, ΕΛ.ΑΣ. speaks of a ample shipment of weapons that could beryllium intended for Turkish transgression groups. On the different hand, the detained Turkish citizens assertion that they are not arms dealers, but Gulenists who fled Turkey and intended to question asylum successful Greece.
The story began successful aboriginal October 2025, when Greek constabulary published photographs of a ample shipment of weapons: 147 pistolsdozens of magazines, ammunition and components were laid retired successful rows arsenic grounds successful a high-profile lawsuit of imaginable weapons smuggling.
The cognition was then presented arsenic a superior stroke to the arms supply web associated with Turkish transgression structures operating successful Greece. Among the imaginable recipients of weapons was a Turkish radical known arsenic Daltons.
However, the defence materials and the testimony of the accused adhd another, overmuch much analyzable enactment to the case. The detainees importune that they had thing to bash with weapons, but ended up connected the banks of the Evros arsenic refugees associated with the question Fethullah Gülen.
How did the cognition ΕΛ.ΑΣ go?
According to the lawsuit file, Greek instrumentality enforcement agencies received accusation astir the activities of organized networks for the transportation of weapons, successful which, according to the police, predominantly Turkish citizens participated.
These reports spoke of the imaginable import of a ample consignment of weapons done unofficial sections of the Greek-Turkish borderline with the purpose of further transfer to transgression groups.
The coastal zone was taken under surveillance Evros betwixt settlements Lagina And Tijero. In the evening October 1, 2025 A constabulary team was formed, and aboriginal the adjacent greeting forces were deployed to the country of operation.
Near 10:00 In the morning, constabulary noticed a radical of radical who entered Greek territory and remained adjacent the stream bank. At first, they were under covert surveillance: the probe assumed that a αυτοκίνητο mightiness thrust up to the spot oregon a idiosyncratic would look who was supposed to prime up radical oregon cargo.
When there was nary question until noon, the constabulary decided to intervene. They were detained connected the spot 15 peopleincluding minors.
What was recovered adjacent the group
According to the dossier, astatine a region of nary much than 1 metre from the detainees, two ample bags And one travel suitcase.
Inside were:
- 147 pistols antithetic manufacturers;
- 173 stores;
- cartridges;
- trunks;
- drummers;
- trigger mechanisms;
- other components for weapons.
According to investigators, the items were cautiously packed successful integrative bags to support them from moisture. Authorities wage special attraction to the weight of luggage: according to constabulary estimates, the bags weighed much than 130 kilograms. This, according to investigators, indicates that transporting such cargo required the coordination and carnal efforts of respective people.
147 pistols and 190 magazines: the tribunal arrested some of the Turks detained successful Evros pic.twitter.com/5GYuiNFzvt
— Athens News (@russianathens) October 7, 2025
The lawsuit materials besides enactment that the discovered weapons could beryllium used some successful finished signifier and for assembling caller weapons. In addition, a papers allegedly issued by the Bulgarian authorities was found. After checking it was recovered to beryllium fake.
Police version
ΕΛ.ΑΣ. sees the lawsuit arsenic portion of a broader signifier of transgression pack enactment with planetary connections. According to the police, such networks use uncontrolled sections of the border, the Evros River and watercraft to transport people, weapons and goods.
In this logic, the detainees could beryllium participants oregon links successful a concatenation that ensured the transportation of weapons to Greek territory and then their further distribution.
Several circumstances stay cardinal for the investigation: ample volume of weapons, packaging, proximity of the cargo to a radical of detainees and accusation astir a imaginable transportation with transgression networks.
But here, arsenic usual, beingness decided not to bounds itself to the elemental constabulary strategy “here are the weapons, present are the people, everything is clear.” Because then the 2nd version begins – and it is overmuch little convenient for speedy conclusions.
“We are Gülenists”
Detained Turkish citizens springiness a antithetic representation of events. According to them, they travel from the areas Istanbul and paid the carriers astir 4000 euros for moving to Greece.
They assertion they arrived via Evros by vessel and the bags were already connected committee earlier they boarded. According to their version, they did not cognize that there were weapons wrong the luggage and had thing to bash with the transportation of weapons.
One of the defendants, according to the lawsuit file, admitted that helium received instructions by mobile telephone to determination the luggage, but insists that helium did not cognize astir its contents.
Most of the detainees denied the charges during preliminary explanations and stated that they would testify earlier the judicial authorities. One of them partially changed the archetypal testimony.
All detainees, according to the defense, assertion connections to the question Fethullah Gülen and assertion that they near Turkey owed to fearfulness of persecution.
They besides assertion that they remained connected the stream slope for respective hours and waited for the Greek authorities to observe them, without attempting to escape.
Who was among those detained?
The illustration of the accused is of peculiar interest. According to defence documents, among them there are radical with a precocious level of education, university graduates and specialists with nonrecreational training.
One illustration mentions a polytechnic postgraduate successful Turkey. Also, according to the defense, 1 of the accused is simply a erstwhile constabulary serviceman and a postgraduate of the university’s economics department.
He is said to beryllium the hubby of the woman presently successful situation Thebes on with their child.
A babe down bars and a five-year-old kid without parents
The beingness of children among the detainees and members of their families adds a special magnitude to the case.
According to the defence materials, 1 infant, who was astir six monthshas present reached the property of astir 12 months and continues to beryllium successful custody with his mother.
The child’s mother, besides progressive successful the case, is being held successful a women’s correctional installation successful Thebes. The defence has repeatedly filed petitions for release, citing chiefly the interests of the kid and the request to stop the babe from being successful prison.
However, each applications person so acold been reportedly rejected by the competent judicial councils Alexandroupolis. A caller exertion for merchandise submitted by February 20, 2026 to the Alexandroupolis investigator, although, according to available information, the authoritative has already projected to cull it.
The defence materials specifically stress that the 45-page tribunal document, according to them, did not notation that the woman was being detained with the baby. The defence considers this an important spread successful the statement of the existent situation.
In addition, the lawsuit mentions a 2nd insignificant kid of the aforesaid household – a five-year-old. He is temporarily staying successful Greece with a relative, presumably his uncle, and has the status of an asylum seeker.
Defense speaks of a imaginable trap
There is different superior thesis connected the defence line: the detainees could person been framed.
According to this version, the weapons could person been pre-positioned oregon loaded successful such a way arsenic to link with them radical who were really trying to get into Greece arsenic refugees.
The accused themselves, arsenic follows from their position, bash not regularisation retired that individuals oregon networks associated with supporters of the authorities could beryllium down this Recep Tayyip Erdoganwith the purpose of discrediting radical who assertion to beryllium to the question Gülen.
These allegations person not yet been confirmed by the lawsuit materials and are portion of the antiaircraft line. But they amusement why the lawsuit does not acceptable into the elemental formula: “they caught a radical with weapons.”
The main question is: whose weapon is this?
The substance of weapons successful Evros is processing connected two planes astatine once.
On the 1 hand, there are nonsubjective and highly superior findings: 147 pistolsmagazines, ammunition, components and luggage recovered adjacent a radical of detainees. This is not a insignificant occurrence oregon a random find. According to sources, such a volume of weapons could equip a small radical oregon transgression unit.
On the different hand, the detainees assertion that they were not smugglers, but radical who were trying to get to Greece and inquire for asylum. They importune that they were unaware of the contents of the bags and were victims of circumstances oregon imaginable provocation.
It is betwixt these two levels—the existent weapon and the arguable transportation of the detainees with those weapons—that the judicial appraisal indispensable present move.
Editorial comment
What’s unsafe astir this story is that it’s too casual to leap to a conclusion—and astir surely beryllium wrong.
147 pistols astatine the borderline is not an mundane incidental oregon “unexplained baggage.” This is simply a ample shipment of weapons that could so airs a superior menace to nationalist information successful Greece. If such a cargo reached transgression groups, the consequences could beryllium severe.
But astatine the aforesaid clip we cannot disregard the different broadside of the matter. Among those detained are radical who assertion governmental persecution successful Turkey, telephone themselves Gulenists and accidental they came to Greece to question asylum. The lawsuit involves an babe successful situation and a five-year-old kid who finds himself without parents. This is nary longer conscionable constabulary statistics, but quality drama.
The main question remains the same: were this radical existent participants successful a weapons transport strategy oregon did they extremity up with cargo being used by different people?
The reply should beryllium fixed by the court, and not by emotions, governmental sympathies oregon a large photograph with pistols. Because the photograph with 147 guns makes a strong impression, but successful itself does not yet explicate who precisely controlled this cargo, who knew astir its contents and who was supposed to person it.
Greek justness indispensable present bash what it indispensable bash successful such cases: abstracted grounds from speculation, radical from luggage, governmental asylum from transgression logistics, and a existent menace from imaginable provocation.
Otherwise, this lawsuit risks becoming either a story astir a ample arms pipeline that astir failed, oregon a story astir radical fleeing persecution and uncovering themselves trapped successful someone else’s cargo. The quality betwixt these versions is not stylistic. It’s the quality betwixt transgression and tragedy.
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