Italy seizes over four tons of cocaine with a street value of €200 million in Trieste.
Italian authorities say they have confiscated 4.3 tons of cocaine with a street value of more than €200 million. The drugs were seized in the Italian port city of Trieste.
Along with the drug, agents also seized €1.8 million in cash as well as some vehicles allegedly used for trafficking, including a big-rig truck.
Italy seizes over four tons of cocaine
The Clan del Golfo cartel is one of Colombia’s largest criminal gangs and operates a network across 28 different countries.
The Guardia di Finanza say the haul is one of the largest-ever drug busts in Europe and has dealt a blow to Colombia’s feared Gulf Clan.
Port city of Trieste is a major drug route
The cocaine was seized in the northeastern Italian port city of Trieste, in the Venezia Giulia region, following a yearlong investigation that also involved US Homeland Security and Spanish National Police.
Authorities have also issued 38 arrest warrants for the alleged international drug trafficking in Italy, Slovenia, Croatia, Bulgaria, the Netherlands and Colombia.
The undercover operation issued a “strong blow to one of the most important Colombian narcotics groups,” Italian anti-mafia investigators said in a statement. Last month, the group’s alleged leader Dairo Antonio Úsuga David – known as “Otoniel” – was extradited to the United States after his arrest in October.
Authorities estimate that criminal groups paid €96 million for the cocaine, which would have been worth €240 million on the Italian market. They suspect this was one of five shipments that came through the city of Trieste, which is a major route for drug smugglers.
The Clan del Golfo cartel is one of Colombia’s largest criminal gangs and operates a network across 28 different countries.
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