Italian financial police at the port of Gioia Tauro in southern Italy have seized more than 435 kg of highly pure cocaine hidden inside a shipment of about 1,000 bags of peanuts, the Guardia di Finanza announced on Wednesday.
The drug, which originated in Latin America and was destined for Eastern Europe according to shipping documents, would have had an estimated street value of over €70 million.
Authorities discovered 400 bricks of the narcotic during a prolonged operation that required unloading and inspecting the large cargo load.
The seizure is part of intensified end-of-year inspections at one of Europe’s busiest ports and represents one of the largest seizures in recent years at Gioia Tauro.
Such busts deliver significant blows to criminal organisations’ revenues, the police say, as the port continues to be a frequent entry point for international drug trafficking into Europe.
