[WATCH] Record €300 million cocaine bust in 1.5 tonne seizure at Freeport

Customs seize yet another record-breaking, Colombian cocaine consignment at Malta Freeport that was bound for Slovenia

The cocaine seized at Malta Freeport was being transported in a container carrying bananas (Photo: Malta Customs)
The cocaine seized at Malta Freeport was being transported in a container carrying bananas (Photo: Malta Customs)

Maltese customs officials seized a record-breaking 1.5 tonnes of cocaine stashed in a container transporting bananas from Colombia to Slovenia.

The container was stopped at Malta Freeport and the drugs have an estimated street value of €300 million.

The Customs Department said in a statement that the team stationed at the Freeport scanning facility, seized 50 bags containing 1,494 blocks of cocaine, weighing 1kg each, during a day-long operation.

The 1.5-tonne cocaine bust comes a month after customs officials found another 800kg in a container originating in Colombia (Photo: Malta Customs)
The 1.5-tonne cocaine bust comes a month after customs officials found another 800kg in a container originating in Colombia (Photo: Malta Customs)

The container was en-route to Koper in Slovenia from Colombia.

The case was handed over to the Malta police drug squad for further investigation and duty magistrate Leonard Caruana is leading the inquiry.

Customs officials estimate that the cocaine has a street value of €300 million (Photo: Malta Customs)
Customs officials estimate that the cocaine has a street value of €300 million (Photo: Malta Customs)

Customs said that the seizure is historical both in size and value and follows another 800kg cocaine bust last month at Malta Freeport.

In 2019, customs officials seized a total of 750kg of cocaine in 13 separate operations. In 2020, 612kg of cocaine were discovered, while 2021 saw 740kg of the drug being stopped in Malta.