Overview
- Dutch customs detected approximately 4,830 kilograms of cocaine hidden in electric magnets from Ecuador during routine scans at the Port of Rotterdam on 8–9 January.
- After the discovery the containers were resealed and allowed to continue under surveillance to a company in Moerdijk, where they were delivered on 22 January.
- Three people were arrested at the delivery, two were later released, and a 52-year-old man from Sliedrecht remains in pre-trial detention for 14 days following a 27 January hearing.
- The multi-agency HARC-team is leading the investigation and has not ruled out additional arrests as inquiries continue.
- Authorities say the seizure ranks among the largest with the Netherlands as the intended destination, and the cocaine has been destroyed.