When a container was opened on Tuesday employees at the De Groot Fresh Group in Hedel found a load of narcotics among the fruit. The load found had a considerable street value and the wholesale was guarded by a special police unit.
This protection was required in case the criminals came to collect the shipment. The drugs have now been removed from the De Groot lot by the police.
This isn't the first time drugs have been found in a De Groot fruit container. Drug criminals continue to use fruit transport. In May 2017 12 kilos of cocaine was found and last year four armed men were arrested in the company area who were looking for a hidden shipment.
Due to these incidents at De Groot the security was heightened significantly last year. "Thankfully the protocol, organised with the law after a number of incidents, has worked. Neither employees nor the company were ever in danger," according to Ilona de Mooij of De Groot Fresh Group.
Narcotics criminals often use De Groot Fresh Group due to the overseas routes that the company uses. The routes from Ecuador and Colombia are of particular interest to criminals.
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