Italian authorities have detained a French truck driver after discovering three Akeron anti-tank missiles and other military equipment in a French-registered van arriving at the port of Bari aboard a ferry boat that had departed from western Greek port of Patras.
An investigation is now underway on how the weapons left Greece and whether their transport had received the necessary authorization.
The 46-year-old driver told investigators he was working as a subcontractor for a French company specializing in military logistics. He said the shipment was part of a legitimate repair operation involving French defense contractor MBDA and a Greek defense company, with the missiles being transported between France and Greece for maintenance.
During the inspection, customs officers found five specialized transport containers designed for anti-tank weapon systems. One was empty, another contained an inert training missile without guidance, propulsion or a warhead and the remaining three each contained an Akeron missile. Italian military experts concluded that the missiles should be treated as military-grade weapons.
A key element of the inquiry concerns the markings on the containers. They initially displayed blue bands, which under NATO standards indicate training equipment without explosive components. Investigators reportedly determined that the blue markings appeared to be removable adhesive tape rather than original factory markings.
After the tape was removed, yellow-and-black markings associated with live explosive munitions were allegedly revealed.
