In Spain, 561 kilos of cocaine hidden in containers containing scrap metal were seized at the end of last week. The drugs were hidden in six large metal cylinders, among thousands of kilos of scrap metal. It was loaded in four containers brought to the port of Valencia from Panama.
Shed
Four people were arrested in Castellón, in a warehouse on an industrial estate where the containers had been delivered. 23,315 euros in cash and heavy tools to cut open the cylinders were also found there.
Suspicious
The investigation started last October after a tip came in about the four containers with scrap metal.
It had already been determined in the port of Valencia that the cylinders were suspicious because they weighed too much. The agents then had the containers delivered in a controlled manner to Castellón.
By loading cocaine with scrap as a cover cargo, it is much less likely to be detected during a scan. In October, cocaine was seized in scrap metal in Spain and in November in Rotterdam. Those shipments came from the Dominican Republic and Costa Rica, respectively.
