Over a ton of cocaine arrived at the port of Rotterdam, the Netherlands, Europe, in a container with pineapples from Costa Rica, as confirmed by local authorities.
The drug was located when the container with the licit fruit cargo was being unloaded at a warehouse in Rotterdam. The cocaine stash is valued at €83 million, the equivalent of ¢45 billion at the current exchange rate.
Once the narcotic was detected, it was moved to a safe place by the Customs Special Team, where the count closed at 1,109 kilograms.
“A GPS beacon was also found along with the batch of drugs. Criminals use beacons to measure the exact location of a container. The fruit company acted cleanly according to protocol and therefore does not appear to have anything to do with the coke shipment,” authorities mentioned in the press release.
The information was confirmed this Tuesday by the Prosecutor’s Office of that city on its Twitter account (X).
Rotterdam is one of Europe’s main ports and is the entry point for export products from Latin American countries. However, it is also one of the main entry points for cocaine from Latin America into Europe.
Other drug seizures
A few days ago, Spanish authorities confirmed the discovery of 419 kilos of cocaine in a container of coffee from Costa Rica. The drug was discovered during an inspection carried out by Customs Surveillance officials of the Tax Agency at the port of Barcelona.
At that time, the Costa Rican Public Prosecutor’s Office confirmed that the drug left the MoÃn Container Terminal (TCM), the main export port of the country and where two scanners for the detection of drugs and other illicit cargo have been operating since July last year.
On the other hand, as part of Operation Costa Rica Segura Plus, 2,500 kg of cocaine were confiscated in Caribbean waters. The boat in which the drugs were being transported was stopped by Coast Guard officers, leading to the arrest of four Nicaraguans and one Colombian.
