German customs seize record 4.5 tonnes of cocaine

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BERLIN: Germany’s customs service said yesterday it had seized a 4.5 tonne cocaine shipment, the country’s largest ever, with an estimated street value of one billion euros (US$1.1 billion).

Photo show the 4.5 tonne cocaine shipment they seized in Hamburg, northern Germany. — AFP photo

The illegal drugs were discovered two weeks ago in a Netherlands-bound shipping container from Uruguay during a search in the northern port city of Hamburg, they said.

When customs agents opened the container, which according to the manifesto was loaded with soybeans, they found more than 200 sports bags packed with over 4,200 packages of compressed cocaine.

The 4.5 tonnes surpassed total seizures of 3.8 tonnes made in Hamburg in 2017.

“This enormous quantity represents the largest single seizure of cocaine in Germany,” said the customs service in a statement. — AFP