Largest cocaine seizure ever recorded in Dominican Republic
Dominican Republican officials say the cocaine found in the country’s largest-ever seizure was being transported to Europe.
Authorities found 9,500 kilograms of the drug hidden in a shipment of bananas at a port in the capital Santo Domingo.
The cocaine was hidden in 320 bags, with an estimated street value of $250 million (£196 million).
According to the National Drug Control Directorate, at least 10 people linked to the port are under investigation, with initial investigations showing that the bananas came from Guatemala.
Communications chief Carlos Danvers said: “Several unidentified individuals tried to transfer the drugs to another container, which was to be sent on a ship to Belgium.”
The consignment far exceeds the 2,580 kilogram seizure made by Dominican authorities at the same port in 2006.
Monitoring agencies have reported that the Caribbean is re-emerging as a major drug trafficking route from Colombia to Europe.
A last year’s report Cocaine use was found to be increasing in several Western European countries, including the UK, Belgium, France and Spain.
According to one, 21% of the world’s cocaine users in 2020 were in Europe UN report,
Evidence shows that drug use is bringing serious health consequencesRecent figures show that deaths from drug poisoning in England and Wales have reached their highest level in 30 years, with deaths caused by cocaine increasing by 30%.
