Huge drug bust in Constanta Port hidden in frozen fruit shipment

Tonnes of cocaine, worth €20 million, were discovered in barrels of frozen fruit in an operation codenamed “Exotic”. The drugs were supposed to go to the Netherlands. Two suspects were detained.

The drugs arrived in Romania on September 18 with a ship coming from Ecuador. 75 drums and 88 boxes full of frozen fruit entered the port. Investigators already had information about the cocaine on the cargo ship, but they let the suspects go on their way. However, they surveilled them for five days, including with drones.

Eduard Mirițescu, deputy general inspector of the IGPR: “The shipment was moved to Aiud, where 71 containers, drums, which were contained in the container, were transshipped in a refrigerated truck.” 71 cans were loaded into the truck. The other four cans and the 88 fruit boxes remained in Romania. If they weren’t discovered in time, they could have ended up on the black market, investigators say.

Mihaela Melconian, DIICOT specialist: “During yesterday, with the support of the Border Police, the truck was stopped at Nădlac 1, and following the control, cocaine was discovered in the barrels containing approximately 15 tons of fruit pulp.”

From the 16 tons of frozen fruit, even 4 tons of cocaine, worth 20 million euros, can be extracted, say the investigators.