Romanian police have seized a truck carrying 20 million euros of cocaine which was hidden in frozen fruit and headed to the Netherlands.
Two men, aged 33 and 36, were on taken into custody on Tuesday on suspicion of drug trafficking after Romanian prosecutors and police discovered the drugs stashed in about 15 tons of frozen fruit pulp that had arrived in the Black Sea port of Constanta from Ecuador.
Prosecutors said that on Sept. 18, a Romanian company unloaded what documents claimed were barrels and boxes of fruit pulp imported from Ecuador.
Investigators had been tipped off about the cocaine on the ship, but allowed the suspects to continue their journey, organizing a surveillance operation which included the use of drones.
“During the investigation, two Romanian citizens, defendants in the criminal case, were identified as being involved in the criminal activity,” DIICOT said in a statement.
After completing customs formalities, the container was picked up and transported to the city of Aiud. Seventy-one barrels loaded with frozen fruit pulp were transferred to a refrigerated truck.
DIICOT said the shipment was scheduled for arrive in the Netherlands on Wednesday.
Border Police stopped the truck at the Nădlac 1 border crossing on Monday and discovered the cocaine in the barrels containing fruit pulp.
After the drugs were seized, two men were taken into custody and properties were searched, including in the city of Aiud, where they had set up a warehouse to store part of the transported goods.
Investigators said up to 4 tons of cocaine worth 20 million euros could be extracted from the amount of frozen fruit seized.
