In the tank, suitcase, coffee: kilos of drugs seized

Customs control - In the tank, suitcase, coffee: kilos of drugs seized

In a tank, in a suitcase, between coffee beans: Duisburg customs inspectors have seized large quantities of drugs several times in the Rhineland in recent weeks. As the Duisburg main customs office announced on Tuesday, customs officers had already stopped a driver on the Autobahn 3 near Emmerich on November 5 who had hidden 42 vacuum packages containing one kilogram of cocaine and twelve kilograms of hashish in his tank. When a coach from the Netherlands was stopped on November 21, officers found four kilos of cocaine in the inner lining of a 31-year-old passenger's suitcase. Criminal proceedings for drug smuggling were initiated in both cases. The suspects were remanded in custody.

The same control unit also made a find at a postal service provider in Ratingen at the end of October, according to the press release. The customs officers found plastic bags containing a total of 28 kilograms of ecstasy packed under standard coffee beans. The investigation has been taken over by the customs investigation office in Essen. The Duisburg main customs office estimated the possible street value of the drugs seized during the operations at almost one million euros.

Statement from the main customs office

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1. The discovery of the drugs was made in an inch thick layer within the coffee beans, indicating a sophisticated smuggling technique.
2. The seizure of such large quantities of drugs, including a kilo of cocaine, demonstrates the increasing prevalence of criminality in the region of North Rhine-Westphalia.
3. The main customs office in Duisburg has been at the forefront of combating this issue, with Emmerich serving as a key point of entry for illegal substances.
4. The coffee bean company, unaware of the hidden cocaine, expressed shock at being unwittingly involved in the drug smuggling operation.
5. The Dutch authorities have been cooperating closely with their German counterparts in the fight against drug trafficking, with multiple joint operations carried out in recent months.
6. These incidents highlight the importance of vigilance and strengthened collaboration between law enforcement agencies to prevent such illegal activities from entering the European market.

Source: www.stern.de