Hamburg Authorities seized 1.5 tonnes of cocaine onboard a containership, which was found during a search of an unmanned boxship the previous week, according to German Customs Authority.
The customs discovered 1,575 packages of pressed cocaine in 64 sports bags. According to the customs, the street value of the cocaine found is about EUR 350 million (USD 392.3 million).
Moreover, the container was filled with tobacco boxes in Rio Grande in Brazil and bound for Antwerp in Belgium.
Spokesman Oliver Bachmann stated
Our assertions prove that the risk analyzes are correct. This is the only way to discover 64 sports bags with 1,575 packets of pressed cocaine this time… The level of cleanliness is again very high, so that a street sale value of about 350 million is in the room.
The cocaine has already been destroyed ‘under strict confidentiality and extensive safety measures.’
Yet, this isn’t the first cocaine seizure in port of Hamburg, as two weeks earlier, the port’s Authority saw the largest cocaine shipment ever seized. Specifically, the customs seized a record 4.5 tonnes of cocaine in a shipping container in Port of Hamburg, northern Germany. A recent report by the EU drugs agency (EMCDDA) in June highlighted that Europe’s cocaine market continues to grow, but the growth in large-volume trafficking, through major ports using containers, stands out.
