Number of fruit containers in drug discoveries unknown

International drug trafficking involves billions of Euro. Many drugs enter Europe through the ports of Rotterdam and Antwerp, with authorities trying to stop this. Around 9,000 kilos of hard drugs were confiscated in Rotterdam last year, most of it cocaine: 7,575 kilos. The biggest catch in the port of Rotterdam last year was a batch of 3,000 kilos in a container with cassavas from Costa Rica, with a street value of 120 million, the second-biggest drug catch in history.

Tip of the iceberg
Last year, 80 shipments of drugs were discovered. In 2013, that number was still 113. The percentage taken off the market by the police is unknown, but the street value has been stable for a while now: 50 Euro per gramme, which means the interceptions don’t have a big impact on the market, otherwise the price would have to react. The reason why Dutch police still go after cocaine trafficking, is the criminal network surrounding the drugs.

Antwerp intercepts more cocaine
The annual report of the Federal Police in Antwerp gives a view of the various methods used by drug traffickers. During one large raid, which saw police from Belgium, the Netherlands and Spain cooperate, eleven people were arrested. The gang was suspected of smuggling cocaine in the bottom of containers. Inland skippers were also found to be involved with the trafficking. Their ships would dock next to a maritime ship (usually a fruit ship from South America), after which the crew picked up a shipment that was likely hidden on deck or stored away by a crew member. The amount of cocaine found in fruit containers is unknown. Media reports say it is significant, but drugs are also smuggled in containers with wine and scrap metal. Some of the drugs are also smuggled in different ways. For instance, the police intercepted 1200 to 1300 kilos of cocaine, floating on a home-made buoy on the Western Scheldt.