Over half a billion dollars worth of cocaine has been seized by police in Paraguay, the largest in the Latin American’s country’s history.
Over 2.3 tonnes has so far been uncovered in charcoal shipments in a ship docked near the capital, Ascension. According to the BBC, authorities believe there could be over 3 tonnes across the vessel which is still being searched. Two people have been detained.
The ship was bound for Israel, via Buenos Aires in Argentina and Antwerp in Belgium. It was Belgian police that tipped off Paraguay about the enormous shipment. The cocaine is understood to have likely originated in Bolivia, the world’s third biggest producer of the drug.
Paraguay has become increasingly linked to drug trafficking in recent years, as high profile gangs from Brazil have expanded into the country. Meanwhile Antwerp is often used by European criminals as a port of entry from drugs coming across the Atlantic. It is highly possible some of the seized cocaine could have ended up used in Irish nightclubs and parties had in reached its destination.
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