Banana shipment concealing 100 kilos of cocaine stopped at Rotterdam harbor

By Zack Newmark on June 30, 2017 - 16:15
107 kilos of cocaine found in a false ceiling in a container at the port of Rotterdam, 28 Jun 2017
107 kilos of cocaine found in a false ceiling in a container at the port of Rotterdam, 28 Jun 2017. Photo: Public Prosecutor / OM

Authorities inspecting an empty shipping container found a large amount of cocaine concealed in a false ceiling. The hiding place was built into a into a container that was used to transport bananas to the Rotterdam port, the public prosecutor’s office revealed on Friday.

Investigators found 107 kilograms of the powder packed in shrink-wrapped bundles. They made the discovery on Wednesday at a container company in Waalhaven, Rotterdam. It was not revealed if any arrests were made in connection with the find.

The drugs were later destroyed.

Prosecutors teamed up with Dutch customs agents, port police, and the Fiscal Information and Investigation Service (FIOD) from the tax authority. The partnership makes up so-called Hit-and-Run Container Teams, or HARCteams, an investigative unit that has been operational for over 25 years.

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