The value of this seizure was estimated at 74 million euros.

More than a ton of cocaine was seized in Le Havre for an estimated value of 74 million euros on the illicit resale market, said Wednesday Gerard Darmanin, hailing the "most important" seizure of cocaine this year in La France.

The drug found in a load of palm hearts

The drug was found in the night of Monday to Tuesday in a load of palm hearts from Ecuador, said the Ministry of Action and Public Accounts. In the middle of the cargo, the agents discovered "15 bundles of burlap containing the drugs that had been smuggled in", representing a total of "1,066.5 kg of cocaine".

This seizure "is the most important achieved by the customs this year," greeted Gerard Darmanin in a statement, adding that the Judicial Police branch of Le Havre has been seized of the investigation. "This is a net loss of more than 74 million euros for the criminal network that organized the transport," said the minister who will visit the site Friday.

12.2 tons of cocaine intercepted in 2018

On the second step of the podium of seizures, 492 kilos of cocaine had been intercepted at Loon-Plage by customs officers of Dunkirk at the end of April, in a container carrying bananas. In 2018, French customs officers intercepted a total of 12.2 tonnes of cocaine on the national territory and on the high seas, an increase of more than 32% over the previous year. In addition, 16.1 tons of cocaine are apprehended abroad on French customs information.

In 2017, the last year studied by the European Monitoring Center for Drugs and Drug Addiction (EMCDDA), more than 140 tonnes of cocaine were seized in Europe. A volume never reached according to the annual report of the organization published in June 2019.