Two Turks arrested over attempt to smuggle 8,500 phones

Two Turkish nationals, aged 62 and 72, were arrested successful Chios connected Thursday for attempting to smuggle mobile phones to Turkey.

During an inspection of a sailboat flying the Turkish emblem and preparing to depart from the larboard of Chios, seashore defender officers discovered 4,000 mobile phones without the required ineligible documentation.

A subsequent hunt of a van used by the 62-year-old revealed an further 8,500 devices. In total, 12,500 mobile phones were seized, with an estimated value of €695,000.

Authorities judge the two men intended to smuggle the phones to Turkey and are investigating whether they are connected to a wider smuggling network.