German authorities have announced the seizure of more than eight metric tons of cocaine hidden inside a shipping container that was supposed to be carrying cacao beans, in a case that later led to the arrest of two suspects in Spain.
The cocaine was discovered on Feb. 9 at the North Sea port of Wilhelmshaven, according to a statement released Wednesday by German customs investigators and prosecutors. Officials estimated the street value of the drugs at around 500 million euros, or about $582 million.
The container had arrived from West Africa and was headed to Spain. Shipping documents listed cacao beans as the cargo. When customs officers inspected the shipment, they found something very different.
Inside were more than 400 packets wrapped in black foil. Each packet contained roughly 20 blocks of compressed cocaine. Altogether, the shipment weighed more than eight metric tons.
Authorities kept details of the seizure confidential for several months while the investigation continued. The shipment was destroyed in Germany before the container was allowed to continue its journey toward Barcelona.
Investigators then worked with Spanish authorities to track down people suspected of organizing the operation. On May 14, two suspects were arrested in El Ejido, a town in Spain’s Almería province, during what officials described as a staged handover of the container.
One of the suspects is the manager of an import company. Investigators said he had previously been linked to another cocaine shipment that had been detected by Spanish customs.
Both suspects could face prison sentences in Spain if they are tried and convicted.
German Finance Minister Lars Klingbeil praised the work of customs investigators and law enforcement agencies involved in the case. He described the seizure as a major blow against international drug trafficking networks.
Klingbeil also said he plans to present proposed legislation that would give customs authorities additional legal and technical tools to combat organized crime. Few details about the legislation were provided in the announcement.
The seizure comes as European authorities continue to report large amounts of cocaine entering the continent. According to figures cited by the European Union Drugs Agency, EU member states reported a record 419 tons of cocaine seized in 2023, marking the seventh consecutive year that a new record was set.
Spain has also seen major cocaine interceptions. The agency reported that Spanish authorities made their largest-ever seizure from a single shipment in 2024, finding 13 tons of cocaine hidden among bananas imported from Ecuador.
Germany has faced similar challenges. Authorities reported seizing 43 tons of cocaine in 2023, including 25 tons discovered in the port of Hamburg. That amount was double the figure reported in 2022.
The European Union Drugs Agency has warned that drug markets continue to evolve. Former agency director Alexis Goosdeel said late last year that drugs have become increasingly widespread and that addiction can affect people directly or indirectly across society.
For investigators in Germany and Spain, the focus in this case remained on a container that appeared ordinary on paper. Instead of cacao beans, it carried one of the largest cocaine shipments intercepted in the region in recent years.
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