Over 1,700 kilograms of cocaine found in banana and jelly shipments
Investigators at the Port of Rotterdam have discovered roughly 1,700 kilograms of cocaine during a two-day period this week. The drugs were found in shipments of bananas, jam and marmalade, said the Rotterdam branch of the Public Prosecution Service (OM).
The combined street value of the cocaine was estimated at 127.5 million euros.
The largest of the two discoveries was in a shipment of bananas that arrived in a sea container sent from Ecuador. A total of 1,197 kilograms of cocaine was found in the consignment during a routine inspection on Thursday. The drugs have a street value of about 90 million euros.
"The bananas were to be stored in the Netherlands and had Ukraine as their final destination. Both the companies in the Netherlands and Ukraine probably have nothing to do with the smuggling," the OM said in a statement.
A day earlier, officers from Customs and the Seaport Police found 500 kilograms of cocaine hidden in eight barrels mixed in with other barrels which were filled with jam and marmalade. Within the suspect barrels, duffel bags were found to be filled with cocaine.
The drugs were valued at 37.5 million euros. "The container came from Colombia and was destined for a company in the Netherlands. This company likely had nothing to do with smuggling," the OM stated.
In both cases, the drugs were destroyed. Prosecutors credited the work of the Hit-and-Run Cargo Team with the investigative work. The unit is a partnership between Customs, the financial crimes inspectorate, the Seaport Police, and the Rotterdam district office of the Public Prosecution Service.
