News report | 27-01-2026 | 19:20
During a routine inspection, Customs found a shipment of nearly 5000 kilos of cocaine. Since the shipment was delivered to a company in the municipality of Moerdijk, this is one of the largest drug seizures with the Netherlands as the final destination ever.
On Thursday 8 and Friday 9 January 2026, Customs inspected two containers with electric magnets from Ecuador. During scanning, anomalies were noticed in the magnets, after which the customs officers decided to investigate the three magnets further. Further investigation revealed that a total of 4882 packages were hidden in the three magnets, amounting to nearly 5000 kilos of cocaine.
After the discovery, an investigation was started by the HARC team. On Thursday 22 January, the containers were transported and eventually delivered to a company in Brabant. Three arrests were made on 22 January during the investigation. Two suspects were released during the investigation. The third, a 52-year-old man from Sliedrecht, was presented to the examining magistrate today. He decided that the suspect will remain in pre-trial detention for 14 more days.
HARC team
The HARC team, a cooperation of Customs, FIOD, Port Police and the Public Prosecution Service in Rotterdam that has existed for 30 years, is further investigating the case and more arrests are not excluded.
The drugs have now been destroyed.