Vietnamese woman wanted for gold smuggling arrested in Greece
ATHENS (Reuters) - Greek police have arrested a Vietnamese woman wanted for smuggling nearly 300 kg (660 pounds) of gold bars by hiding them under vehicles used to shuttle ice across the Vietnam-Cambodia border, police officials said on Wednesday.
An Interpol Red Notice was issued on behalf of Vietnam last year for the 64-year-old woman, who had been living in Greece and was arrested at Athens airport on Oct. 28.
A Greek prosecutor ordered her detention pending extradition, one of the officials said.
The woman is accused of working with a group of accomplices, mainly her relatives, to smuggle the gold, the official added.
"To avoid detection and identification, they crossed through points without customs control. The would also remove any letters or distinctive marks from the bars," police said in a statement.
(Reporting by Yannis Souliotis; Writing by Renee Maltezou; Editing by Helen Popper)