Cocaine Being Disguised As Charcoal Seized By Police (Photos)

Iexclusive News Nigeria reports that Cocaine being disguised as charcoal with a potential value worth of up to $41.4 million has been seized by police officers in a joint operation between Dutch and Irish police authorities.

Cocaine being disguised

The drugs were said to have been found inside two shipping containers from South America that arrived at the port of Rotterdam, in the Netherlands, as part of what Irish investigators believe was an attempt to import up to half a ton of cocaine to Ireland, according to a press release from Ireland’s national police and security service.

2,000 bags of charcoal were discovered within the containers, according to reports, however due to the usage of an X-ray scanner and police sniffing dogs, some of the bags were discovered to contain cocaine.

Later, forensic science Ireland (FSI) confirmed the presence of cocaine, but it will apparently take several days, if not weeks, for FSI to separate the cocaine from the product in which it is hidden.

As part of an ongoing investigation by the Irish National Drugs and Organized Crime Bureau, arrests are likely soon.

“This is a significant development in the Garda Síochána’s effort to disrupt and dismantle organised crime groups suspected to be involved in the importation of cocaine and other drugs into Ireland,” said assistant commissioner John O’Driscoll of the Garda Síochána, nickname of Ireland’s national police and security service.

O’Driscoll emphasized the “significant international dimension” of the operation and the “importance of cooperation within the law enforcement community within Europe and further afield.”

Michael O’Sullivan, head of the Maritime Analysis and Operations Centre, which coordinates anti-drug trafficking operations by seven European Union countries including Ireland, said the seizure was “a massive seizure” that will “deal a huge blow to the organized crime group involved.”

O’Sullivan told Irish broadcaster RTÉ that Irish crime groups play a leading role in the importation of cocaine to Europe, where the market for the drug is estimated to be worth 14 billion euros ($16.6 billion).