Over 13,000 kilos of cocaine seized at Rotterdam Harbor

Last year a total amount of 13,312 kilograms of cocaine was intercepted at the port of Rotterdam, breaking the 2013 record of 9,800 kilograms, the Public Prosecutor announced on Wednesday. According to the prosecutor, the number of cocaine seizures did not increase, but the size of them did.

The intercepted cocaine shipments ranged from 1.5 kilograms to nearly 4 thousand kilograms. The last shipment was hidden between pineapples from Costa Rica.

The so-called Hit and Run Cargo Team intercepted a total of 67 drug shipments over 2016. In addition to the over 13 thousand kilos of cocaine, 720 kilos of marijuana and 406 kilos of heroin were also seized. A total of 40 suspects were arrested. 

According to the Prosecutor, it is hard to say how much drugs exactly do get past the Dutch borders, though there is evidence that large quantities of drugs from South America are entering the Dutch market. For cocaine at least this can be seen in the plummeting market price for the drug. 

According to broadcaster NOS, sources from within the criminal world say that one in every five or six shipments of drugs are intercepted and seized.