Netherlands seizes 8 tons of drugs on banana ship.

The Netherlands has discovered more than 8 tons of cocaine in a container ship carrying bananas, marking the largest drug seizure ever in the country.

The largest drug bust ever in the Netherlands was carried out by customs officials at the port of Rotterdam on July 13, Dutch prosecutors announced on August 10. A total of 8,064 packages of cocaine, each weighing one kilogram, were recovered from 12 crates of bananas on board the ship.

Prosecutors said the drugs, worth approximately 600 million euros (661 million USD), were hidden in containers carrying bananas from Ecuador and transported to Rotterdam via Panama. The matter had not been previously publicized because the investigation was ongoing. The seized cocaine has been destroyed.

"Once again we have successfully dealt a major blow to drug traffickers at the port. This is a very large drug bust," said Peter van Buijtenen, Director General of Rotterdam Customs.

The cocaine seized by Rotterdam customs from a container ship carrying bananas on July 13. Photo: AP

Dutch customs authorities seized more than 29,702 kg of drugs in the first half of 2023, up from the 22,009 kg seized in the same period last year, according to figures released last month.

The Netherlands, along with its neighbors Belgium and Spain, is a leading European destination for illicit cocaine from Panama, Colombia, and Ecuador. Last year, Belgian authorities seized 110 tons of cocaine at the port of Antwerp, the largest amount ever.

The announcement of the Dutch drug bust came a day after Fernando Villavicencio, Ecuador's leading presidential candidate and anti-corruption journalist, was assassinated following a campaign rally in the capital.

Last week, Villavicencio reported to authorities threats against him and his campaign team, allegedly made by a drug cartel leader currently in prison.

Huyen Le (According to AFP )

Source link: https://vnexpress.net/ha-lan-thu-8-tan-ma-tuy-tren-tau-cho-chuoi-4640392.html