Greek customs officers have made a Thessaloniki port weapons seizure of 3,081 knives, swords and knuckle-dusters, hidden in a shipping container declared as sunglasses and beads.
The container had arrived at Thessaloniki Port from a port in China, and its final consignee was a company in Bulgaria.
The Independent Authority for Public Revenue (AADE), which runs Greek customs, made the Thessaloniki port weapons find.
Staff at the Anti-Smuggling Department of Thessaloniki’s 1st Import-Export Customs Office were carrying out routine sample checks. When they spotted a suspicious container, they ran it through a mobile X-ray system.
The scan revealed suspicious areas inside the container. As a result, officers carried out a full physical inspection.
Inside, they found 24 cardboard boxes holding 3,081 weapons in total.
Most of the haul was 1,900 stilettos and 470 butterfly knives.
In addition, officers seized 595 swords: 300 with 45-centimetre blades, 175 with 50-centimetre blades and 120 with 42-centimetre blades.
Finally, the Thessaloniki port weapons haul included 110 knuckle-dusters and six karambit knives, which have curved blades.
Previously, officers at the port found cocaine worth €5.5 million in a container in August 2025.
Greece has also stepped up its fight against customs fraud, recently joining forces with the UK against smuggling.
Source: Proto Thema
Athens Bureau
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