- Title: GERMANY: Police in biggest ever cocaine seizure
- Date: 20th August 2011
- Summary: BERLIN, GERMANY (AUGUST 19, 2011) (REUTERS) ***CONTAINS FLASH PHOTOGRAPHY*** VARIOUS OF POLICE IN BALACLAVAS DISPLAYING WHAT IS BELIEVED TO BE COCAINE POLICEMEN STANDING BEHIND BRICKS CONTAINING WHAT IS BELIEVED TO BE COCAINE BRICKS CONTAINING WHAT IS BELIEVED TO BE COCAINE (SOUNDBITE) (German) OFFICER IN CHARGE OF CUSTOMS INVESTIGATION OFFICE BERLIN-BRANDENBURG, ANDREAS BEYER, SAYING: "For Berlin this very successful. Such a drugs find has not happened in ten years." DRUGS FIND (SOUNDBITE) (German) OFFICER IN CHARGE OF CUSTOMS INVESTIGATION OFFICE BERLIN-BRANDENBURG, ANDREAS BEYER, SAYING: "Yesterday we apprehended a group of seven criminals, six of which we arrested temporarily and will appear before the judge today. The criminals consists of Turkish citizens who live in Berlin. Three of which were apprehended yesterday in Bremerhaven, two were in the process of preparing the smuggled cocaine in a flat for the transport to Berlin. At the same time the main suspect was arrested in Bremerhaven by special forces by the State Office of Investigation of Bremen." PHOTOGRAPH OF GUN FOUND (SOUNDBITE) (German) OFFICER IN CHARGE OF CUSTOMS INVESTIGATION OFFICE BERLIN-BRANDENBURG, ANDREAS BEYER, SAYING: "The street value of the cocaine is 45,000 euros per kilogram. Since it was 100 kilograms, we are talking a value of 4.5 to 5 million euros. The cocaine has a purity of about 80 percent. This cocaine is likely to be cut for the street trade, so we can assume an extra 80 kilograms." CUSTOMS OFFICE SIGN
- Embargoed: 4th September 2011 13:00
- Keywords:
- Location: Germany, Germany
- Country: Germany
- Topics: Science
- Reuters ID: LVAAIOMRYEATK7WUTTF041R6MFQ7
- Story Text: Special police and customs forces have delivered Germany's largest blow against the drug trade in the country's history. On Thursday (August 18) evening drug enforcement agents seized an unprecedented amount of cocaine.
"For Berlin this very successful," said the officer in charge of the customs investigation office Berlin-Brandenburg, Andreas Beyer. "Such a drugs find has not happened in ten years."
According to media reports about 100 kilograms of cocaine were seized in Bremerhaven. The drugs were smuggled into Germany by sea from Panama.
"Yesterday we apprehended a group of seven criminals, six of whom we arrested temporarily and will appear before the judge today. The criminals consists of Turkish citizens who live in Berlin. Three of whom were apprehended yesterday in Bremerhaven, two were in the process of preparing the smuggled cocaine in a flat before being transported to Berlin. At the same time the main suspect was arrested in Bremerhaven by special forces of the State Office of Investigation of Bremen," Beyer said in Berlin.
He said that the street value of the cocaine is 45,000 euros per kilogram. "Since it was 100 kilograms, we are talking a value of 4.5 to 5 million euros." But since the cocaine had a purity of about 80 percent, it is likely to be cut for the street trade, Bayer said, "so we can assume an extra 80 kilograms." - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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