Dutch customs seize 463 kilos of cocaine in mango shipment to Moerdijk
Dutch customs officers seized 463 kilograms of cocaine hidden in a refrigerated container of mangoes at the port of Rotterdam on Sunday, just weeks after authorities intercepted a separate 4,830-kilogram cocaine shipment also linked to Moerdijk, the Public Prosecution Office reported.
The latest seizure occurred Feb. 1 during a routine customs inspection of a refrigerated container that originated in Peru and traveled via Panama before arriving in Rotterdam. The container was carrying mangoes and was en route to a company in Moerdijk, after which it was to be transported to its final destination in Germany, according to the Public Prosecution Office.
During the inspection, customs officers discovered 14 bales placed behind the container doors. Inside those bales were a total of 463 packages of cocaine. However, authorities said the companies in Moerdijk and Germany appear to have no involvement in the smuggling operation.
The case is under investigation by the HARC team, a 30-year-old joint task force made up of Dutch Customs, the Fiscal Information and Investigation Service, the Seaport Police and the Public Prosecution Office in Rotterdam. The seized drugs have since been destroyed.
The discovery follows a major cocaine interception in early January, when authorities seized 4,830 kilograms of cocaine destined for Moerdijk. That shipment was delivered in three electric magnets to a company in the town and was described as one of the largest drug seizures ever involving the Netherlands as a destination.
