A police handout photo shows evidence seized in the raid.
Police in Crete have seized more than 1,000 liters of suspected illegal alcohol and enough nitrous oxide to fill about 30,000 balloons in an operation in Iraklio, authorities said Thursday.
A 53-year-old man was arrested after authorities discovered the substances in a storage area linked to his business, a cafe/bar in the Cretan city. A 46-year-old representative of an Attica distillery is also under investigation.
During the raid on the main suspect’s business, police found 284 containers holding 1,003 liters of alcoholic liquid in a storage area linked to the suspect’s business. Authorities said tax documents proving the alcohol had been legally purchased and that duties had been paid were not produced. The estimated loss to state coffers was just under €3,000.
Officers also seized 129 smaller cylinders and 14 industrial cylinders containing nitrous oxide, commonly known as “laughing gas,” along with 115 valves and 300 balloons. Authorities estimated the gas could have filled about 30,000 balloons for recreational use.
