The Police announced the arrest of 55-year-old Alexandros Angelopoulos in Pieria on Tuesday, who is accused of organizing the transportation of 5.5 tons of cocaine via the Africa 1 ship, in the summer of 2004.
His arrest came after the local authorities were instructed – with much delay – by the Supreme Court, which has ordered a retrial. Angelopoulos was initially convicted to life imprisonment, however in 2011 he appealed the sentence and it was reduced to 22 years.
As such, the “cocaine baron” took advantage of the beneficial law introduced by Justice Minister Paraskevopoulos, aimed at decongesting Greek prisons, which allowed his early release at the start of the summer, causing major controversy.
The 55-year-old is expected to stand trial once again in next few months.
