Greek police arrest businessman after helicopter makes unauthorized landing on Spetses beach

Beach landing at Zogeria

A private helicopter carrying four occupants made an unauthorized landing on Zogeria beach on the Greek island of Spetses on Saturday, 22 August 2026, at approximately 15:00. The aircraft, operating under an Austrian registration, took off from Keratea in eastern Attica before flying across the Saronic Gulf toward Spetses. As the aircraft approached the shoreline and touched down directly beside the water, powerful downdrafts from the rotors generated thick clouds of sand and dust. The disturbance forced hundreds of bathers and local vacationers to clear the area in disorder. Swimmers immediately contacted the Hellenic Coast Guard, prompting a joint response from coast guard personnel and police officers who dispatched units to the site.

Pilot explanations and prosecutor inquiry

The incident prompted immediate intervention from the Piraeus public prosecutor, who instructed police to gather preliminary investigation material and determine flight specifics, including departure points, landing permissions, and luggage contents. Officers detained the two pilots, identified as German citizens in initial reports, with one report recording an Austrian and a German national. The crew provided their flight documentation to police and stated that they were hired to transport a Greek passenger and a foreign female companion. The pilots explained to investigators that they decided to land on the beach because parked motorbikes had blocked the island's official helipad. Following their formal depositions, the prosecutor ordered both pilots released without charges under in flagrante procedures.

Narcotics discovery and passenger arrest

Following the touchdown, the two passengers departed Zogeria beach aboard a sea taxi, abandoning plans to board a private luxury yacht after noticing the arrival of law enforcement. An off-duty police officer stationed on the beach noticed a suspicious bag left nearby. Upon inspection, officers discovered illegal substances, recorded across source reports as roughly 5 grams of hashish, 0.5 grams of cocaine, and a 20-millilitre container of inhalable cocaine, while another report described a package containing 50 grams of cocaine suspected of being thrown from the helicopter seconds before landing. Police tracked down the Greek passenger, identified as a 39- or 40-year-old businessman and shipowner, and arrested him on drug possession charges, while continuing search efforts to locate the foreign woman for questioning.

Legal proceedings and prior Milos incident

A separate case file covering the unauthorized beach landing is being compiled by police and will be forwarded to the Piraeus prosecutor to determine further criminal liabilities for the flight maneuver. The event follows an unauthorized landing on 7 August 2026 at Sarakiniko beach on the island of Milos, where a helicopter touched down on protected volcanic rock formations to let passengers out for a swim. Authorities are coordinating between police and port officials as the arrested passenger is transferred to the prosecutor's office to address the narcotics allegations.