A drug intervention team in the Netherlands successfully apprehended smugglers caught in the act of discarding narcotics into the North Sea. This operation occurred on March 15, off the Zeeland province coast, near Neltje Jans, as reported by Amsterdam prosecutors. Five suspects, aged between 34 and 61 and residing in various Dutch cities, were discovered throwing bundles of drugs from an unnamed containership.
The police identified their method as the “drop-off method,” where smaller, faster boats retrieve the discarded packages from the sea and transport them to shore. Prosecutors confirmed that hundreds of kilos of cocaine were being transferred during this operation. Alongside the five suspects, authorities seized a high-speed motorboat, which they suspect was acquired through a fraudulent arrangement.
The investigation is being led by the Amsterdam Public Prosecution Service, which has withheld additional details pending further inquiries. This method of drug smuggling has been increasingly common globally, with Australian authorities reporting similar incidents involving large bundles equipped with flotation and tracking devices.
In other instances, Spanish police have encountered drug cartels aboard containerships, highlighting ongoing rivalries and innovative smuggling tactics, including swimmers transporting drugs to vessels.
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