On Monday, German authorities declared that they had apprehended seven individuals and taken cocaine valued at 2.6 billion euros ($2.78 billion) from multiple cargo ships. This is reportedly the largest cocaine discovery in the nation’s history.
The 35.5 metric tons (39 U.S. tons) of cocaine that were seized last year, according to prosecutors in the western city of Duesseldorf, were seized after receiving a tip from Colombian law enforcement.
25 tons of cocaine were discovered in the port of Hamburg, a northern city; 8 tons were discovered in the port of Rotterdam, a Dutch city; and about 3 tons were discovered in Colombia.
Fruit and vegetables were used to conceal the medicines. No prior announcement had been made regarding the narcotics seizures.
The suspects, who range in age from 30 to 54, were apprehended recently and are thought to have been responsible for the smuggling.
The seven are nationals of Germany, Azerbaijan, Bulgaria, Morocco, Turkey, and Ukraine, according to a statement from the prosecutors. In accordance with German privacy regulations, their identities were not revealed.
According to them, a businessman from North Rhine-Westphalia in western Germany established 100 mailbox businesses to give the impression that the deliveries were lawful.
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“Specifically, the suspects are accused of organizing the transport of 10 sea containers with large quantities of cocaine from Latin America to Europe in the period from April to September 2023 with other as yet unknown accomplices allegedly residing in Turkey via front companies set up for this purpose,” prosecutors stated.
At a news conference in Duesseldorf, Benjamin Limbach, the state justice minister of North Rhine-Westphalia, welcomed the massive cocaine seizure.
“This is a blow to international organized criminality,” Limbach stated. “It’s a precise punch in the jaw that hurts the drug lords.”
