More than a ton of cocaine was seized in Le Havre (north-west of France) for an estimated value of 74 million euros on the illicit resale market, which represents the "most important" seizure of cocaine. year, announced Wednesday the French Minister of Public Accounts Gerald Darmanin.
The drug was found in the night from Monday to Tuesday in a load of palm hearts from Ecuador, said the ministry. In the middle of the shipment, the officers found "15 bales of burlap containing the drugs that had been smuggled in", representing a total of "1066.5 kg of cocaine".
This seizure "is the most important achieved by the customs this year," said Gerald Darmanin in a statement.
"This is a net loss of more than 74 million euros for the criminal network that organized the transport," added the minister.
On the second step of the podium of seizures, 492 kilos of cocaine had been intercepted at Loon-plage (north) by customs officers of Dunkirk at the end of April, in a container carrying bananas.
In 2018, the French customs services intercepted a total of 12.2 tons of cocaine on the national territory and on the high seas, an increase of more than 32% compared to the previous year. In addition, 16.1 tons of cocaine seized abroad on French customs information.In 2017, the last year studied by the European Monitoring Center for Drugs and Drug Addiction (EMCDDA), more than 140 tonnes of cocaine were seized in Europe. A volume never reached according to the annual report of the organization published in June 2019.
235 KILOS OF CANNABIS IN CANNED FOOD, TWO LITHUANIANS INCARCERATED
French customs officers seized 235 kilos of cannabis resin, concealed in cans, on a highway area in eastern France, said Wednesday the judicial authorities.
Two Lithuanians who transported the drugs were arrested and placed in pre-trial detention.
The drug was discovered last week in a van registered in Lithuania, in boxes of canning for catering and sealed in an industrial way.
The vehicle was parked on a rest area known to be a crossing point for illegal goods conveyors.
The two conveyors explained that they had recovered the vehicle in Spain on behalf of a sponsor and had to send it to Lithuania via France.