Customs officials at Vlissingen port in Zeeland found about 1.3 tonnes of cocaine hidden in a shipment of bananas during routine inspections earlier this week, prosecutors said.
Drugs worth over €95 million were hidden in two containers that began their journey to Vlissingen, Ecuador via Antwerp.
The bananas were intended for a company in Vlissingen, but police deny any involvement. The drug was destroyed.
Rotterdam, not Vlissingen, is a port of choice for drug smugglers. Last month, customs seized about €200 million worth of cocaine there.
in September last yearthe European police organization Europol has released a report that the high-volume ports of Antwerp, Rotterdam and Hamburg have become the new epicenter of the European cocaine market due to the increased use of shipping containers to hide drugs. .
Antwerp is the largest port of arrival for cocaine, but most of the drugs “are likely to be aimed at organizations operating outside the Netherlands where cocaine is distributed to further European destinations,” Europol said. Stated.
Thank you for donating to DutchNews.nl
The DutchNews.nl team would like to thank all of our generous readers who have donated in recent weeks. Your financial support has allowed us to extend our coverage of the coronavirus crisis into evenings and weekends, ensuring that we are kept up to date with the latest developments.
DutchNews.nl has been free for 14 years. Your contribution makes this possible.
https://www.dutchnews.nl/news/2022/12/cocaine-worth-e95m-among-bananas-at-vlissingen-port/ €95 million worth of cocaine in bananas in Vlissingen port