German customs officials seize cocaine worth €145m

Fri, 03 Feb, 2017 - 13:21

Customs officials in the German port of Hamburg have seized cocaine with an estimated street value of €145m.

Rene Matschke, head of the Hamburg customs investigation office, said on Friday the cocaine - the largest single seizure of the drug in Germany to date - had a very high degree of purity, news agency dpa reported.

Packages of cocaine are on display at the customs office in Hamburg.

The haul - weighing 1,580lbs - was seized on January 18 after it was found in a shipping container from the Dutch Caribbean island of Curacao.

Mr Matschke said that an international gang was behind the cocaine shipment and that there was a hostage-taking linked to the drugs in the Netherlands on Monday.

- AP

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