Dutch customs officials make 600 million euros cocaine seizure

THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AP):

Customs authorities in Rotterdam have confiscated more than 8,000 kilogrammes (17,600 pounds) of cocaine, the largest seizure of the drug in the Netherlands, prosecutors said Thursday.

The drugs had an estimated street value of 600 million euros (US$662 million), the Rotterdam Public Prosecution Service said in a statement. No arrests have been made yet in an investigation following the discovery, which was kept secret because of the ongoing probe.

Prosecutors said the drugs, which have been destroyed, were discovered on July 13 hidden in a container of bananas from Ecuador. The announcement came the day after a presidential candidate known for speaking out against drug cartels and corruption in the South American nation was fatally shot at a political rally.

The flourishing drug trade in Europe also is fuelling violence and corruption on the continent, the European Union agency that monitors drugs and addiction said in its annual report in June.

It said record amounts of cocaine are being seized in Europe, with 303 tonnes confiscated by EU member countries in 2021. Rotterdam and the Belgian port of Antwerp are now the main gateways for Latin American cocaine into the continent, it said.