Swiss police said Thursday (May 5) they seized more than 500 kilograms of cocaine from a shipment of coffee beans delivered to a Nespresso factory.
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Workers at the Romont factory in the canton of Friborg in western Switzerland alerted authorities on Monday to a mysterious white powder found in bags of coffee beans, police said.
Staff at the site, owned by Swiss food giant Nestlé, "
found an undetermined white substance when they unloaded the bags of freshly delivered coffee beans
", Friborg police said.
Cargo from Brazil
Analysis determined that the substance was cocaine.
A search of five maritime containers "
transported the same day by train led to the seizure of more than 500 kilos of this drug
", added the police.
She said she set up a large security perimeter around the plant during the operation, which also involved a large contingent of customs officers.
The cocaine did not contaminate the production of the factory, took care to specify the police.
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Initial investigation determined that the shipment originated in Brazil, police said, adding that the cocaine seized was more than 80% pure, with an estimated street value of more than 50 million Swiss francs ($51 million). dollars, 48 million euros).
“
It seems that all the drugs were destined for the European market,
” according to the police.
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