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Cocaine found in Hamburg: Customs presents part of the discovered goods
Photo: Marcus Brandt / dpa
Customs seized 2.6 tons of cocaine in the port of Hamburg.
The drug has a black market value of more than 350 million euros, according to customs.
Accordingly, it was hidden in a container from Ecuador, which according to the shipping documents should be loaded with bananas.
The container had already been unloaded in the port of Hamburg on December 24 and has been at a container terminal ever since.
Due to the long standing time, the container was targeted by customs.
At the end of January, an X-ray check was ordered in the container inspection facility in Waltershof.
Suspicious structures behind two pallets of bananas became visible.
Inspectors finally found 2630 kilograms of cocaine.
The container shipment of bananas was intended for a company in another European country.
The further investigations of the customs investigation on behalf of the public prosecutor's office are ongoing.
The head of Hamburg's customs investigation office, René Matschke, spoke of an "outstanding cocaine seizure".
The find was one of the largest in recent years.
Last year, officers at the Hamburg Customs Investigation Office seized a total of more than 18 tons of cocaine.
Largest cocaine discovery in Baden-Württemberg
The police in Baden-Württemberg also reported a large cocaine find on Thursday.
In a banana ripening plant in Urbach in the Rems-Murr district, 336 kilograms of cocaine were discovered between unripe fruit and confiscated.
According to the investigators, the market value of the drug is around 20 million euros.
According to the State Criminal Police Office (LKA) and customs, this is the largest amount seized in Baden-Württemberg to date.
According to an LKA spokesman, there have not been any arrests or arrests so far.
The police are still investigating.
The drugs were neatly packaged in one-kilogram packages between the bananas in the crates.
According to the police, these came from Central America and came to Baden-Württemberg via the port of Vlissingen in the Netherlands.
It is clear that the bananas were destined for another federal state - for which, the LKA spokesman did not want to say.
The banana ripening plant served as an interim storage facility.
The drug was discovered at the end of January.
In order not to hinder the investigation, the State Criminal Police Office has only now announced the find, said the spokesman.
According to the LKA, there were indications of the drugs in the warehouse before the search.
ptz/dpa