German investigators have announced the seizure of 35.5 tonnes of cocaine, valued at €2.6 billion ($2.78 billion), marking the largest cocaine bust in the country’s history. This significant find, which authorities described as the biggest cocaine seizure in Europe, led to the arrest of seven individuals implicated in the drug smuggling operation.
The cocaine was discovered last year after a tip-off from Colombian authorities. German prosecutors detailed that the drugs were hidden among shipments of vegetables and fruit across several locations. Specifically, 25 tonnes were found at the port of Hamburg, 8 tonnes at the Dutch port of Rotterdam, and almost 3 tonnes in Colombia.
The suspects, aged between 30 and 54, include nationals from Germany, Azerbaijan, Bulgaria, Morocco, Turkey, and Ukraine. The arrests were made in recent weeks as part of a coordinated effort between German authorities and Europol, under an operation known as Operation Plexus. Due to German privacy rules, the identities of the suspects have not been disclosed.
The smuggling operation involved the use of 10 sea containers to transport large quantities of cocaine from Latin America to Europe between April and September 2023. A businessman from North Rhine-Westphalia was identified as a key figure in the operation, having established 100 letterbox companies to facilitate the illegal transports.
Benjamin Limbach, the state justice minister of North Rhine-Westphalia, praised the operation at a news conference in Düsseldorf, stating, “This is a blow to international organized criminality. It’s a precise punch in the jaw that hurts the drug lords.” Tino Ingelmann, head of the customs investigation authorities in Düsseldorf, noted that the amount of cocaine seized in Germany has been increasing annually.
In addition to the cocaine, authorities also confiscated several mobile phones, laptops, gold bars, €23,300 in cash, and a Porsche valued at approximately €250,000.
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