Kissamos: arrest of 35-year-old for illegal weapons

A significant quantity of weapons and ammunition was seized in Kissamos, Chania, following a targeted police investigation that resulted in the arrest of a 35-year-old Greek national. According to an announcement by the Greek Police as reported by Agonas of Crete, one pistol with two magazines, four hunting rifles and more than two hundred rounds of ammunition were found in his possession and seized. The operation was organized by officers of the Kissamos Police Department, with operational support from the Chania Police Operations Department. The announcement does not specify whether the search was conducted at a residence, storage facility or vehicle, nor whether it was preceded by a prosecutor’s order.

The 35-year-old was brought before the Chania Misdemeanor Prosecutor, while the preliminary investigation is being conducted by the Kissamos Police Department. He is accused of violating weapons legislation and is presumed innocent until proven otherwise by the competent court. It is not known whether the weapons are connected to other cases, nor whether any of them had been legally registered in the past. The pistol, as a short-barreled weapon, is subject to stricter licensing requirements than hunting rifles, which are issued with possession permits under specific conditions. Possession of magazines together with the weapon further aggravates the case, as it is considered to make the weapon immediately functional.

Illegal weapons possession is a longstanding issue in western Crete and is connected both to the hunting tradition and to the use of weapons at festivals and social events. Cretan police directorates have intensified targeted inspections in recent years, with a series of operations that have led to seizures of weapons and ammunition. This year has been marked by incidents that highlighted the extent of the problem, such as the incidents in Vorizia in Heraklion County. Gunfire at events has occasionally resulted in injuries and deaths, a fact that has led to stricter handling by the island’s judicial authorities.

The law provides for sentences for illegal possession of firearms that scale depending on the type and number of weapons, while possession of multiple weapons together with large quantities of ammunition is treated more severely. The seized devices will be sent for ballistic examination, a procedure that checks whether any of the weapons have been used in pending cases. The police did not disclose to the public the location where the weapons were found or information that would allow identification of the arrested person. More on the district in the Chania section. The case file will be submitted to the competent prosecutor’s office, which will determine whether the case will be brought with summary procedure or regular indictment.