Germany and Belgium seize record cargo of cocaine from Paraguay: “Historic blow for drug trafficking”

Some 23 tonnes of cocaine were discovered in containers at the ports of Hamburg and Antwerp, announced this Wednesday the German customs service, which evoked the largest seizure in history in Europe.

16 of these tonnes were seized in Hamburg (Northern Germany) in five containers from Paraguay, customs said, adding that this operation also made it possible to find 7 thousand additional kilograms stored in Antwerp (northern Belgium).

The total amount of these seizures would amount to “several billion euros“, According to customs.

A 28-year-old man has been arrested in the Netherlands. He is suspected of being responsible for importing the 23 tonnes of cocaine, according to the customs service.

Investigators also searched two locations, one in Rotterdam and the other in a nearby town. Dutch police said the intercepted illegal shipment had “the same destination in Holland“.

“All of the mega-shipments seized destined for the Netherlands constitute a absolute record. Never before has so much cocaine been intercepted at one time”They said in a statement.

Customs officials at the busy port of Hamburg had decided to take a closer look at the Paraguayan containers after warning.clear irregularities”In its content. The cans in question had to be filled with mastic.

“Under a layer of genuine goods packed right behind the container door, there were a lot of cans that were actually filled with other goods,” Customs said.

In total, 16 tonnes were discovered in around 1,700 cans.

The investigation is continuing in Germany, the Netherlands and Belgium and could lead to further arrests.

“Largest amount of cocaine ever seized in Europe and one of the largest individual seizures in the world, ”German customs said of the Hamburg loot.

In all, last year 102 tons of cocaine were intercepted to the European continent thanks to an international repression project completed by the United Nations.

Paraguay operations

For its part, Zully Rolon, head of the National Anti-Drugs Secretariat (Senad), said in dialogue with Monumental AM 1080: “We already knew about it. We have even (…) started to work on the question of the container program because it is very difficult to review containers personally, without technology ”.

Then he said: “We were in the knowledge but we couldn’t talk about it either because we were waiting for the official communication from German customs. (…) We have an open parallel case for this case here in Paraguay“.

Finally, he declared: “We are on the way to different types of procedures (…). We have a diagram of an entire intelligence system related to this case ”.

Meanwhile, the Minister of the Interior, Arnaldo Giuzzio, a d anti-drug operations in the South American country.

“We were waiting for the public denunciation of the German authorities (…) I would like to inform you (that there are) parallel operations, the Senad is already raiding the prosecution at the momentGiuzzio told the media as he left a meeting with the head of state, Mario Abdo Benitez.

In this regard, the minister referred to the actions of the National Anti-Drugs Secretariat, the repressive force which functions like the ministry of which he was at the head until January 25, when Abdo Benítez entrusted him with internal security.

Giuzzio stressed that the authorities are keeping the alert on containers leaving Paraguay following the discovery last October of a network that traffics tons of cocaine hidden in coal shipments, some of which were seized in ports in Belgium and Spain.

“Since these seizures which took place last year, it is several containers that could contain drugs were already on the wayThat is why they immediately contacted many different authorities in the region and also in the ports where they could possibly go, ”he said.

And he claimed that “in the event that it was shipped to our country, would be extremely important logistics, well articulated to dispose of this quantity (drug) first and also for transport by river.

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