Authorities within the Dominican Republic say they’ve confiscated practically 9.5 tonnes of cocaine present in a banana cargo.
It is the most important drug seizure within the nation’s historical past.
The medication, price $250m (£196m), had been present in a cargo that arrived at Caucedo, the nation’s essential seaport, within the capital of Santo Domingo.
The cargo had been despatched from Guatemala and was destined for Belgium, in keeping with Carlos Devers, a spokesperson for the Dominican Republic’s anti-drug company.
Ten suspects had been detained, he advised a press convention.
“Early investigations present {that a} container carrying bananas arrived from Guatemala,” he stated. “Many unknown people tried to switch the medication to a different container that will be shipped on a vessel to Belgium.”
He stated it was the nation’s largest seizure, beating a 2.6-tonne seizure, additionally in Caudedo, in 2006.
Dominican Republic authorities have seized practically 47 tonnes of medication to date this yr.
InSight Crime, a thinktank that analyses organised crime, has stated the record-breaking seizures made this yr recommend the Caribbean is resurfacing as a significant trafficking route from Colombia to Europe, the place consumption is estimated to have greater than doubled between 2011 and final yr.
“As demand grows, traffickers are ramping up efforts to satisfy it, turning to the Caribbean as an excellent conduit for smuggling cocaine to Europe,” InSight Crime stated in an evaluation in late November, noting that giant Dominican transport hubs supplied in depth alternatives for traffickers.
