Customs officers and Dutch police have discovered around 1.4 tonnes of cocaine hidden in a shipment of banana crates at the Port of Rotterdam. Authorities estimate the street value at more than €70 million. Three men aged 29, 34 and 41 were arrested at the terminal.
Investigators say the shipment is linked to a network internally referred to as the “North Sea Cartel.” The organization is considered one of the most active groups in the European cocaine trade and is also believed to have ties to the Port of Antwerp.
“We’re looking at a network that splits logistics, front companies and money laundering across several countries,” a spokesperson for the Rotterdam public prosecutor’s office said. The investigation is ongoing and further arrests have not been ruled out.
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