Cocaine worth $ 12 billion has been found in Uruguay

Part of the record bracket, 4.4 tons, was found hidden in four containers at the port of the capital Montevido. The containers would have contained soy flour and were on their way to Lomé, the capital of West African Togo.

According to local media, a further 1.5 tonnes of cocaine were later found at a ranch, the BBC writes.

The total value of the cocaine is estimated at $ 1.3 billion, corresponding to more than SEK 12 billion.

It was when the containers were scanned in the harbor that deviations in the cargo were detected, authorities say. Since the company that was to transport the cargo had never exported such a large amount of soy before, suspicions of the contents of the containers had already been raised, local media reports according to the BBC.

It has become increasingly common for Uruguay to be used as a transit country for drugs transported from Latin America to Africa and Europe.

By November of this year, the second largest seizure of cocaine was made in Uruguay, when three tonnes of cocaine were found in a container to be sent to Cotonou in Benin at Montevido port.