German investigators seize cocaine worth 2.6 billion euros, call it biggest find ever
German investigators say they discovered 35.5 metric tons of cocaine worth 2.6 billion euros ($2.78 billion) on different container ships and made seven arrests in connection with what they called the largest cocaine find in the country ever
BERLIN (AP) — German investigators announced Monday that they seized cocaine worth 2.6 billion euros ($2.78 billion) from several container ships and arrested seven people in what they called the biggest ever cocaine find in the country.
Prosecutors in the western city of Duesseldorf said they confiscated the 35.5 metric tons (39 U.S. tons) of cocaine last year following a tip from Colombian authorities. They added they found 25 tons of cocaine in the port of the northern city of Hamburg, another 8 tons in the Dutch port of Rotterdam and almost 3 tons in Colombia. The drugs were hidden among vegetables and fruit.
The drug seizures had not previously been announced.
The suspects — aged between 30 and 54 — were arrested in recent weeks and are believed to have been behind the smuggling. The seven include German, Azerbaijani, Bulgarian, Moroccan, Turkish and Ukrainian nationals, the prosecutors said in a statement. Their identities were not given in line with German privacy rules.
