More than eight tonnes of cocaine seized in Wilhelmshaven – worth approximately 500 million euros
German customs discovered more than eight tonnes of cocaine in a single shipping container at Jade-Weser-Port. Two suspected masterminds were arrested in Spain in May.
Record cocaine find in Wilhelmshaven: container from West Africa equipped with GPS transmitters
German customs have seized more than eight tonnes of cocaine with an estimated street value of approximately 500 million euros at Wilhelmshaven port – one of the largest finds in recent years. According to the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, citing the Aurich public prosecutor's office and the Cologne general customs directorate, the consignment was already discovered on 9 February at Jade-Weser-Port, but remained secret initially for investigative reasons.
The shipping container came from West Africa and was, according to shipping documents, loaded with cocoa beans with Spain as the destination. X-ray screening revealed irregularities to the control unit of the Oldenburg main customs office. Officers subsequently discovered over 400 packages wrapped in black, each containing around 20 compressed blocks of cocaine.
The perpetrators had equipped the packages with GPS transmitters to continuously monitor the location of the cargo. To rule out a forcible recovery attempt, the drug was destroyed in Germany under strict security measures.
In the course of the subsequent international cooperation, Spanish authorities arrested two suspected masterminds in mid-May during a staged container handover in the province of Almería. One of the accused is the managing director of an import company.
Federal Finance Minister Lars Klingbeil (SPD) described the find as a "hard blow against international drug trafficking" and thanked the officers involved. The Vice Chancellor also announced that he would present the Customs Financial Justice Act to the cabinet shortly, which is intended to provide customs with new technical and legal instruments in the fight against organised crime.
Source: Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung