REPORT
16 June 2023 – 07:42
©IPA/Frame
The investigation of the operation is carried out by German law enforcement agencies in collaboration with the DEA. The cargo was in a container from Guayaquil, Ecuador, and was destined for Sweden. The sale of cocaine would have yielded more than 800 million euros for the traffickers.
Record-breaking cocaine seizure in Germany, in the port of Hamburg. The financiers of the Hamburg command and the officials of the Customs Office found about two tonnes and 600 kilograms of cocaine. The cargo was in a container from Guayaquil, Ecuador, and were destined for Helsingborg, Sweden.
The container was refrigerated and over 12 metres long: inside them, the drug was hidden in a load of fruit made up of of 28 tonnes of bananas.
The operation
The successful operation of the German Police is the result of a long and complex monitoring and constant analysis of the trade routes that arrive in the Baltic Sea from South America, passing through the Dutch port of call. Leading up to today’s seizure, the investigators had identified in particular a container among the thousands in transit from the Ecuadorian location that were destined for Helsingborg. Data, documents and cross-checks enabled the investigators to corroborate their hypotheses and thus proceed with the inspection of the container that in fact turned out to be loaded with cocaine.
A load worth 800 million euros
The cocaine seized in Hamburg was of high quality and in perfect condition. The traffickers could have obtained a revenue of more than 800 million euros from its sale. Over 20 specialised soldiers of the Police Forces were required for the transport operations and subsequent destruction, who took care of the security device. The container transported exotic fruits from Ecuador and was also supposed to arrive at foreign ports, such as Helsingborg.
In recent days, the executives of the Guayaquil Banana cargo company and the executives of the customer who was to receive the Banana cargo in Helsingborg were questioned to testify about the case, in order to find those responsible.
The investigation is ongoing on an international scale, with the involvement of DEA agents.