A 39-year-old businessman was arrested on the Greek island of Spetses after landing a private chartered helicopter beside holidaymakers on Gera beach and leaving behind a backpack containing illegal drugs.
Police located the helicopter alongside its 45-year-old German pilot and 29-year-old Austrian co-pilot after holidaymakers captured video of the landing and uploaded the footage to social media. The posts alerted the Greek Coast Guard, which passed the information to the local Spetses Police Department.
Officers searching the area surrounding the beach discovered a black backpack containing two small bags of suspected cocaine and cannabis. The bag also contained nasal spray, a pharmaceutical preparation, rolling papers for cigarettes, and the businessman's identity card.
Helicopter charter and flight path
Police established that the 39-year-old had rented the private aircraft from a charter company based in Glyfada, a coastal suburb of Athens. The helicopter had taken off from the Keratea area in eastern Attica before flying south to land on a flat plateau directly adjacent to Gera beach.
A foreign female friend of the businessman was reportedly traveling in the helicopter as a passenger. Police officers have not yet located the woman, and she has not provided a statement to investigators.
Police investigation and flight safety probe
After authorities initiated a search for the businessman, he presented himself at the Spetses Police Department, where officers arrested him for drug law violations. He was later released by order of a prosecutor from the criminal prosecution office in Nafplio, while police assemble a case file for prosecution.
Investigators are also building a separate legal case against those involved regarding the beach landing itself. Authorities are reviewing potential flight safety violations created by landing a private helicopter in close proximity to people swimming and sunbathing.
Spetses is an island in the Saronic Gulf located near the Peloponnese peninsula, known as a popular summer holiday destination. Under Greek aviation laws, private aircraft operations are strictly regulated, requiring designated landing sites to prevent hazards to the public on beaches and coastal areas.
