Over a ton of drugs Dutch customs discover cocaine worth 118 million euros

SDA

30.11.2024 - 13:39

ARCHIVE - A container is loaded onto a ship in the port. Photo: Virginia Mayo/AP/dpa
ARCHIVE - A container is loaded onto a ship in the port. Photo: Virginia Mayo/AP/dpa
Keystone

Dutch customs have discovered around 1575 kilograms of cocaine in the port of Vlissingen. The drugs were found during a regular inspection and had a retail value of around 118 million euros, the public prosecutor's office announced.

The cocaine was reportedly hidden in a load of fruit. This came from Colombia with the destination Germany. The drugs had been destroyed.

The ports of Antwerp in Belgium and Rotterdam in the Netherlands are the main ports of entry for cocaine smuggling in Europe.

However, due to tighter controls and security measures, organized gangs are increasingly switching to smaller ports such as Vlissingen in the southwest of the Netherlands, near Antwerp, according to the police.

In mid-November, around 1,000 kilograms of cocaine were found there within a week. At the end of October, customs investigators discovered 600 kilograms of cocaine in a load of bananas.

SDA