Over eight tons cocainewhich were hidden in a container of bananas from Ecuador, were confiscated in the port of Rotterdam, announced today Dutch prosecuting authorities, making the case for the largest drug seizure that has been done so far in the country.
The eight tons of drugs, of which the purchase value is estimated at 600 million euroswere seized on July 13, but the business was not disclosed earlier due to ongoing investigations.
“On July 13, customs authorities made the largest seizure of drugs ever made in the port of Rotterdam,” the prosecutor’s office said in a statement, as reported by the Athens News Agency.
“A total of 8,064 packets of cocaine – weighing one kilogram each – were found in twelve pallets of bananas,” prosecutors said, adding that the drugs were destroyed.
The container had arrived in Rotterdam via Panama.
“Once again we succeeded (…) to deal a serious blow to the drug traffickers at the port“, said the Director of Rotterdam Customs, Peter van Buijtenen, describing the seizure as “huge».
Dutch customs seized more than 29,702 kilograms of drugs in the first half of 2023, more than the same period last year (22,009 kilograms), according to figures released by authorities in July.
More than half of the seized shipments contained less than 100 kilograms of drugs, the government said at the time.
The Netherlands, Belgium and Spain are the countries to which the largest quantities of drugs arrive in Europe, with shipments coming mainly from Panama, Colombia and Ecuador. In recent years, Ecuador – a country located between Colombia and Peru – has been hit by a wave of violence attributed to drug-trafficking gangs.
The announcement of the confiscation is made the day after it murder of Fernando Villavicencio, one of the candidates for the presidency of Ecuador, known for his revelations in corruption cases. Last week, Villavicencio reported receiving threats against himself and members of his campaign team, allegedly from the jailed leader of a drug-trafficking gang.
Source: News Beast
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