Cocaine smuggling is increasing in Europe. The ports of the Netherlands and Belgium are considered to be the main import points.
Rotterdam – Investigators have seized a huge amount of cocaine in the port of Rotterdam. 4022 kilograms of the drug with a sales value of more than 300 million euros were discovered in a container, the public prosecutor said.
It was the largest cargo so far that had been seized in Rotterdam, said a spokesman for Dutch radio.
The container came from Suriname in South America and was otherwise filled with wood. It was intended for a company in Poland. According to the judiciary, cocaine smuggling is increasing significantly. According to a new report from Europol, the ports of the Netherlands and Belgium are now the main import points for cocaine in Europe.
Drug gangs hide cocaine in containers. In the port, so-called collectors should then pick up the bags or parcels from the containers and bring them out of the port area. According to the Dutch public prosecutor's office, the number of criminal collectors is increasing. This year alone, 325 suspects were reportedly arrested. In 2020 there were a total of 281. dpa
