Record drug haul by Dutch customs officials at Rotterdam port

Customs officials in the Netherlands have netted the country’s largest ever haul of drugs, seizing a shipment of over 8,000 kilogrammes of cocaine in the port of Rotterdam.

They were discovered on 13 July in a shipping container transporting bananas, but the news was kept secret to assist the ongoing investigation.

Officials say the vessel carrying the drugs travelled to Europe via Panama from Ecuador, which is now one of the main exporters of cocaine to Europe and the United States.

Prosecutors say the shipment has an estimated street value of €600 million. No arrests have been made and the drugs have been destroyed.

The announcement comes a day after a candidate in Ecuador’s presidential race, known for speaking out against drug cartels and corruption, was shot dead at a political rally.