ATHENS, Greece, Oct. 17 (UPI) -- Foreign nationals draw significantly heavier penalties for drug-related offenses from Greek courts than do Greek natives, a study indicates.
University of Peloponnese criminologist Vassilis Karydis determined in an analysis that the average jail sentence for a Greek-born defendant convicted of trafficking drugs such as marijuana or ecstasy pills is 4.8 years, while foreigners draw an average sentence of 8.9 years, the Greek newspaper Kathimerini reported Saturday.
The Karydis study found a big difference in cases involving hard drugs such as cocaine and heroin, where Greeks get sentences ranging between 4.3 years and eight years while foreigners draw sentences between 7.4 years and 11 years, the newspaper said.
Kathimerini said the study looked at a sample of 767 drug-related convictions.
