The customs brigade at the port of Marseille seized 71.6 kg of cocaine hidden in a container from Martinique on Wednesday, the customs department announced in a press release.
The agents, alerted by the "marking" of an anti-narcotic dog, discovered in the container which contained moving effects 64 cocaine loaves in caches arranged between two sofas, the same source said.
The booming cocaine market
This discovery follows the implementation in early July by Marseille customs officers of a new system for pooling information from different services: UCIMAR (Marseille maritime targeting unit), intended to better target containers likely to conceal fraudulent goods.
This is the largest catch made in the eastern basin of the port of Marseille, mainly dedicated to ferries and cruise ships.
Most of the freight traffic is carried out in the Fos-sur-Mer basin where 500 kg of cocaine had been seized in January, the customs communication told AFP.
The market for cocaine, the second most widely used drug in the European Union after cannabis, is “expanding”.
Police seize more than 300 kg of cocaine near Bois de Vincennes
Major drug trafficking stopped in Strasbourg
Drug traffic
Cocaine
Seizure
Port
Marseilles
Paca