Huge drug seizure by authorities in Portugal

Portuguese authorities have successfully stopped a huge shipment of class A drugs, disguised as boxes of bananas, from entering Europe.

Investigators in Portugal announced today, Tuesday, May 2 that over €100 million worth of cocaine was successfully prevented from getting into Europe, according to Metro.

The illegal shipment weighed in at 4.2 tonnes in what initially looked like six pallets of Columbian bananas.

Vitor Ananias, of the Judiciary Police, said, ‘It is the biggest cocaine seizure this year and one of the biggest in recent years.’

The drugs were stashed aboard a cargo ship bearing the Italian flag which docked at Setubal, south of Lisbon.

The cocaine was no doubt intended for distribution to several European countries, with police reporting that it was of a ‘high degree of purity.’

As yet Police have not made any arrests but stressed they are actively investigating the matter.

Portuguese authorities issued a statement, ‘With this result, the police activity of the Judiciary Police was able to inflict a severe financial blow on the criminal organizations involved in this case.

‘This is both in terms of investment in this criminal activity and in terms of the extremely high profits from the crime that would be generated, that is, if this amount of product drug had reached the consumer distribution market.’

In 2022, border control authorities in Portugal intercepted more than 14 tonnes of cocaine, estimated to be around €700 million in street value.

This latest drug bust comes amid a renewed crackdown by law enforcement officers, as Portugal is high on the list of entry points for illegal shipments entering Europe.