Overview
- Customs officers discovered 3,867 kilograms of cocaine hidden in bags and packages inside a container of wood during a routine ship inspection at the Port of Rotterdam.
- After the load was seized the vessel continued to the Port of Antwerp and the seized drugs have since been officially destroyed by authorities.
- The Openbaar Ministerie in Rotterdam has opened an ongoing criminal investigation and says the Belgian company named as the shipment’s destination is not implicated.
- The shipment’s origin in Chile and transshipment through Peru underline how traffickers hide cocaine in legitimate cargo and use transshipment hubs to obscure supply chains.
- Dutch customs recorded fewer port seizures in 2025 than in 2024, but officials warn lower interception totals do not necessarily mean smuggling has declined and stress the continued need for port controls and international cooperation.