During multiple inspections at the port of Rotterdam, Customs intercepted 783 kilos of narcotics within a week. The total involved 6 shipments. The drugs have since been destroyed.
On October 29, Customs found 583 kilos of cocaine and 3 kilos of crystal meth in a container with a gigantic steel machine. The drugs were so well hidden that dismantling the machine and removing the narcotics took days. The container came from Costa Rica and the machine was intended for a company in North Holland.
Refrigerated containers
Furthermore, on November 1, 33 kilos of cocaine were found in the inspection hatches of a refrigerated container. That container was loaded with bananas and came from Peru. After the container was unloaded at the recipient, it was brought to an empty depot, a storage place for empty containers, in Rotterdam. There, the drugs were discovered by an employee who immediately informed Customs.
But it doesnt stop there. On a ship that arrived at the port of Rotterdam on November 4, more refrigerated containers were found by Customs to contain cocaine in the inspection hatches. In total, it involved 164 kilos spread over four containers from Peru and Ecuador. Three of these containers were destined for Antwerp. The fourth container was destined for a company in South Holland. The recipients appear to have no connection to the smuggling of the narcotics.
HARC team
The HARC team, a collaboration now 29 years old between Customs, FIOD, Port Police, and the Public Prosecution Service in Rotterdam, is further investigating the case.
