The Tax Agency seizes 1,100 kilos of cocaine in the port of Bilbao
Within the framework of Operation Hammer
- This is the largest cocaine seizure in recent years in the Basque Country.
- The narcotic substance was hidden in a container that was transporting a shipment of bananas from Ecuador
- It would have reached a value of more than 30 million euros on the black market.
April 21, 2020 .- The Tax Agency has seized 1,100 kilos of cocaine hidden in a container transporting a shipment of bananas from Ecuador in the port of Bilbao. This is the largest cocaine seizure in recent years in the Basque Country and one of the largest to date in this territory. The goods are believed to have been worth more than 30 million euros on the black market.
The operation, called 'Hammer', is the result of a complex and laborious investigation carried out by Customs Surveillance of the Tax Agency in the Basque Country and the General Subdirectorate of Operations of the Department of Customs and Excise, with the collaboration of the United States Customs Services and other European customs.
Cooperation between different customs services is one of the key tools in the fight against drug trafficking. As a result of this collaboration, it was discovered that a large shipment of cocaine from Ecuador could be destined for the port of Bilbao at this time.
As a result of this exchange of information, the Tax Agency's Customs Surveillance investigators proceeded to carry out a thorough analysis of the traffic of goods from that country destined for Bilbao, with the aim of determining which container, among all the legal traffic, could be the one that was contaminated.
Drugs hidden in a container
Yesterday, the selected containers from Ecuador were examined. After opening the doors of one of the containers carrying bananas and unloading the first rows of boxes, the presence of a large number of bags could be observed. Once the packaging was removed, the presence of a thousand packages of a substance was detected which, after the relevant analysis was carried out, turned out to be cocaine.
The drugs were hidden in a container carrying legal cargo from Ecuador. This is the modus operandi known as 'rip-off', or 'blind hook', in which criminal organisations contaminate legal cargo containers at the ports of origin or during the sea crossing with backpacks or bags containing the narcotics. Once the containers arrive in Europe, criminal organisations remove the packages containing the drugs from the container before the legitimate recipient takes possession of their merchandise.
It has been noted that organizations are trying to take advantage of the lockdown situation resulting from the health emergency that is occurring throughout the world to increase their activity.
Aware of these circumstances, customs authorities in all countries have intensified foreign trade control mechanisms and have established channels for cooperation and the exchange of information and risk profiles.
In addition, the Customs and Excise Department of the Tax Agency has designed a specific plan aimed at preventing criminal organisations from taking advantage of the situation resulting from the declaration of the state of alarm in our country.
Since the state of emergency came into force, important operations against cocaine trafficking have been carried out which, with the participation of Customs Surveillance of the Tax Agency, have led to the seizure of eight tons of this substance, including the seizure made yesterday in Bilbao.
Customs Supervision: Presentation of charges for smuggling and related offences Free telephone no. 900351378 Email: denunciasvigilanciaaduanera@correo.aeat.es |
Operation filming (to download the video, enter the following web address):