Dutch Officials Seize Over 700 Kilos Of Cocaine At The Port Of Rotterdam

Over the last week, Dutch authorities have seized more than 700 kilograms of cocaine at the Port of Rotterdam. The confiscated cocaine has an estimated street value of €53.5 million ($59.5 million).

The largest of these seizures was a shipment of avocados from Peru that had transited through the Panama Canal before arriving in Rotterdam. Authorities found 514 kilograms of cocaine hidden within the container, which was intended for a company in De Lier.

On the same day, another avocado shipment en route to a different company in Ridderkerk was found to contain an additional 100 kg of cocaine. Both companies have denied involvement in the smuggling, claiming that they were unaware of the drugs hidden in their shipments.

Just days after the seizures, on August 16, 2024, police conducted a routine inspection of an empty refrigerated container that had previously been used to transport bananas from Ecuador and discovered an additional 39 kg of cocaine.

On August 17, 2024, another routine inspection uncovered 60 kg of cocaine in a refrigerated container carrying bananas from Costa Rica.

The cocaine recovered in these seizures totalled 712 kilograms as police intensified efforts to curb the flow of narcotics through Europe’s busiest ports.

The seizures are part of a larger effort by European governments and law enforcement agencies to disrupt the illegal activities of drug cartels, which have increasingly used legal shipments for smuggling operations.

International authorities have warned that these criminal organizations are becoming increasingly aggressive, invading port operations across Europe. Refrigerated containers, or “refer boxes,” are the preferred option for smugglers.

Earlier in August, Greek authorities found 34 kilos of cocaine hidden in a banana shipment, while Dutch officials seized over 8,000 kilograms of cocaine hidden in a banana shipment a year prior. Similarly, Spanish authorities announced their largest cocaine bust, seizing nearly 9,500 kg of the drug in a banana shipment.

Belgian authorities reported confiscating 116 tonnes of cocaine in Antwerp in 2023, an increase from 110 tonnes in 2022. These seizures highlight the importance of coordinated European Union measures to tackle the rising drug trafficking activities through the continent’s major ports.

Latin American exporters, particularly those dealing in fresh fruit, have been on high alert as drug traffickers target their shipments.

Reference: Fresh Fruit Portal

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Source: Maritime Shipping News