Swedish customs officials seized approximately 1.4 tons of cocaine April 18 in what may be one of the largest drug busts in the country’s history, CBS News reported.
Swedish customs officials seized about 1.4 tons of cocaine last week at the port of Nynashamn, south of Stockholm, potentially marking one of the largest drug busts in the country’s history, Stefan Granath of Swedish customs told broadcaster SVT on Tuesday, according to CBS News.
Granath revealed that the exact amount of cocaine seized is still being determined, but the preliminary estimate places it among the most significant hauls ever in Sweden. “If it is as big as we think, it is one of the biggest seizures ever made,” Granath said, CBS News stated. The operation led to the arrest of six men suspected of being involved in the drug’s transportation.
Swedish customs made one of the country’s biggest-ever cocaine seizures after confiscating around 1.4 tons of the drug last week in a port near Stockholm, an official told Swedish television on Tuesday. https://t.co/zGK4NQzI1z
— CBS News (@CBSNews) April 23, 2024
The seized cocaine was likely intended for distribution across the European market, with Sweden serving merely as a transit point. “Just five to 10 years ago, it was very unusual to seize only 100 kilograms,” Granath stated, CBS News reported.
This incident comes against the backdrop of a broader challenge facing Europe, where criminal networks are increasingly infiltrating legitimate businesses. A recent report pointed out the extensive involvement of these networks in drug trafficking and corruption throughout the European Union, the outlet reported. (RELATED: ‘Unwavering Efforts’: CBP San Diego Officers Impound Drugs Worth Over $5 Million In Two Weeks)
Other significant drug finds in Europe include 1.3 tons of cocaine discovered within shipments of frozen fish by Portuguese authorities in March, and a record-breaking 17,600 pounds of cocaine found in crates of bananas in the Netherlands last August, marking the largest seizure at Rotterdam’s port, according to CBS News. Swedish customs had previously reached a peak in cocaine seizures in 2022, with 822 kilograms confiscated.