702 kilos of cocaine from Panama, intercepted in France’s customs

The largest amount of cocaine – 702 kilograms – ever seized in the shipping industry was discovered Jan.10, after searching in depth three containers that were on a ship traveling from Panama to Belgium, said François Baroin, France’s budget minister, in a statement made Monday.

The bust snagged $38.7 million worth of cocaine.

The operation was performed after a long process of monitoring a group already known to customs authorities for trafficking in cocaine in 2009, Baroin said in his statement.