Maritime police in northwest France found nearly a ton of cocaine washed up on a beach on the English Channel on Feb. 26.
The drugs were found near the town of Reville on the Cotentin Peninsula, according to France’s maritime authority for the English Channel and North Sea.
The cocaine, weighing about 1,875 pounds (850 kilograms) in total, was found in two large packages linked by a rope, the authorities said on Feb. 28.
Police are trying to determine whether the drugs fell from a ship or were intentionally floated to the shore for traffickers to pick up.
Another report by AFP citing unnamed sources said more drugs were found washed up on the northern French coast on March 1.
Drug Smuggling Surge
There has been a surge in cocaine and crack smuggling into Europe, accompanied by unprecedented drug violence in some areas.
The North Sea port cities of Antwerp in Belgium and Rotterdam in the Netherlands have become the main gateway for Latin American cocaine cartels into Europe.
On Feb. 14, two Dutchmen, aged 27 and 46, were arrested by Belgian police, and almost 8,818 pounds (4,000 kilograms) of cocaine were seized.
Police found an address in a navigation app used by the two men. That address led police to a hangar with a container filled with 68 bags of cocaine.
Police also arrested seven other men found in the hangar.
Half a ton of cocaine worth more than $50 million and said to be 80% pure was seized from an espresso factory in Switzerland by local cops.
If you’re curious to delve deeper into the topic, read more about it here.
Support GreatGameIndia
