Netherlands seizes 8 tons of drugs on banana ship

The Netherlands has discovered more than eight tonnes of cocaine in a container ship carrying bananas, marking the country's largest-ever drug bust.

The Netherlands' largest-ever drug bust was carried out by customs at the port of Rotterdam on July 13, Dutch prosecutors said in a statement on August 10. A total of 8,064 packages of cocaine, each weighing one kilogram, were taken from 12 boxes of bananas on board.

Prosecutors said the drugs, worth about 600 million euros ($661 million), were hidden in a container carrying bananas from Ecuador and arrived in Rotterdam via Panama. The details were not made public earlier as the investigation continues. The cocaine seized has been destroyed.

"Once again we have succeeded in dealing a heavy blow to drug traffickers at the port. This is a very large drug seizure," said Rotterdam Customs Director Peter van Buijtenen.

Cocaine seized by Rotterdam customs from a banana container ship on July 13. Photo: AP

Dutch customs seized more than 29,702 kg of drugs in the first half of 2023, up from 22,009 kg in the same period last year, according to figures released last month.

The Netherlands, along with its neighbors Belgium and Spain, is the top European destination for illegal cocaine from Panama, Colombia and Ecuador. Last year, Belgian authorities seized 110 tonnes of cocaine at the port of Antwerp, the largest ever.

The Dutch drug bust announcement came a day after Fernando Villavicencio, a leading Ecuadorian presidential candidate and anti-corruption journalist, was assassinated after a campaign rally in the capital.

Last week, Villavicencio reported to authorities threats against him and his campaign team, allegedly made by a drug cartel leader in prison.

Huyen Le (According to AFP )

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