BERLIN, Feb. 24 (Xinhua) -- Customs seized more than 2.6 tons of cocaine in the port of Hamburg in Germany, worth more than 350 million euros (390.1 million U.S. dollars) on the black market, the customs authority said on Thursday.
The cocaine was hidden in a container from Ecuador, which according to the shipping documents was supposed to be loaded with bananas, the statement noted.
"With this outstanding cocaine seizure, customs once again underlines its significant role in the fight against organized crime," said Rene Matschke, head of the Hamburg customs investigation office.
The container had already been unloaded in the port of Hamburg on Dec. 24 and had been stored at a container terminal since then. Due to the long storage time, the sea container came into the focus of customs.
An X-ray inspection of the container was ordered, showing "suspicious structures of the goods," which strengthened the suspicion of cocaine smuggling, the statement noted. The container shipment of bananas was destined for a company in another European country.
Further investigations by the Hamburg customs investigation office on behalf of the Hamburg public prosecutor's office would continue.
Last year, customs in Hamburg have seized around 16 tons of cocaine in containers from Paraguay. The find was considered the largest amount of cocaine ever seized in Europe. (1 euro = 1.12 U.S. dollars) ■