On 23 July, criminal investigators working at the Port of Rotterdam discovered a substantial amount of cocaine concealed in two large fruit shipments. The Public Prosecution Service (OM) announced the seizure of 4,500 kilos of cocaine.
Customs agents discovered almost 1,500 kilograms of cocaine in one consignment and almost 3,000 kilograms in another, totalling €115 million (US$135.7 million) in street value between the two hauls.
According to local news sources, the former was in a container of pineapples en route from Costa Rica to a company in Germany, while the latter was laden with bananas from Ecuador.
The cargo was bound for a corporation in The Hague. Authorities say the firm was unaware that the cocaine was being shipped alongside the fruit consignment.
This was the port’s second significant seizure in less than a week, following the discovery of over 3,000 kg of cocaine in a banana puree package from Ecuador.
ΟΜ reported that 12 workers of a Rotterdam container company were imprisoned in recent months on suspicion of assisting in drug trafficking.
Ankur Kundu
Correspondent
