Police seized more than 1.3 tonnes of cocaine hidden in frozen fish due to be distributed across Europe, detaining seven people of different nationalities as part of Operation Squid.
The drugs, discovered in a warehouse in Portugal’s western region, were hidden inside the frozen fish, which was wrapped in plastic and packed in cardboard boxes. Portugal’s Judiciary Police said in a statement:
“The way in which the drug was hidden in the frozen fish made it extremely difficult to detect it and, in order to remove it, the fish had to be completely destroyed.”
The shipment, which arrived from Ecuador, was unloaded at the port of Lisbon, police said, adding that officers conducted several searches as part of Operation Squid and seized eight firearms, expensive cars and various documents and items.
The detainees, aged between 26 and 59, are suspected of being part of an organised crime group that imported large quantities of cocaine from Latin America and distributed it in several European countries. Police did not disclose the nationalities of the detainees.
Last year, the UN Office on Drugs and Crime said in its annual World Drug Report that the supply and demand for cocaine was increasing worldwide.
Last month, it was reported that the largest ever seizure of class A drugs, hidden in a bunch of bananas, was seized at a UK port.
