230 kg of cocaine hidden in ventilation system of lorry near Dijon
More than 230 kg of cocaine, valued at €7 million, has been seized from the ventilation system of a heavy goods vehicle in Côte-d'Or. Traffickers are increasingly ingenious in their hiding places.
Record seizure in Côte-d'Or: cocaine concealed in ventilation of heavy goods vehicle
Franceinfo.fr reports that at least 230 kilograms of cocaine were intercepted on 2 September near Dijon, in Côte-d'Or, concealed inside the ventilation system of a heavy goods vehicle. The value of the cargo is estimated at approximately €7 million.
This case illustrates a trend documented by investigators: drug traffickers are resorting to increasingly inventive hiding places to transport their illicit substances. Ventilation systems, bags of potting soil, technical compartments — the spaces being exploited are multiplying and becoming more sophisticated.
"They are increasingly ingenious," Franceinfo.fr notes, summarising the assessment by authorities in the face of evolving concealment methods. Customs officers and law enforcement must now inspect vehicle areas previously considered unlikely hiding places.
The operation carried out in Côte-d'Or constitutes one of the significant seizures recorded recently on French road networks. The heavy goods vehicle was transiting through a region which constitutes an important circulation corridor for traffic from or heading to Northern Europe.
No final assessment of the number of people arrested in the framework of this operation has been specified in the available information. The investigation is ongoing.
Source: Google News FR — Crime (fr)