A joint operation by the Tax Agency and the Guardia Civil

• The drug was hidden in the structure of a container from South America that contained fruit.
• The method used to try to introduce the drug has been known as 'lost hook' or 'rip off'

June 12, 2023.- The Customs Surveillance Service of the Tax Agency and the Civil Guard have seized a shipment of 117 kilos of cocaine in the port of Valencia. The drugs were hidden in the structure of a container from South America that contained fruit.

The operation took place in mid-May, when agents were able to detect the alteration of the metal structure of a container. Following the checks, it was possible to verify the manipulation and concealment of 117 kilos of cocaine inside. The container's cargo consisted of fruit from South America, of legal origin.

The drugs were introduced using the 'rip off' system, which consists of using shipments of goods from legal import companies while the criminals introduce the drugs, either inside the container, or in its structure at the port of origin without the exporters or importers knowing about it. They then access the substance, trying to conceal the handling of the container to avoid customs controls. In this way, they try to benefit from the usual flow of legal international import/export goods.

The members of the Risk Analysis Unit (UAR) of the Valencia Customs Office, made up of officials from the Customs Surveillance Service of the Tax Agency and members of the Fiscal Security of the Civil Guard, are constantly working to detect this type of conduct and discover its perpetrators.