Estonian Tax and Customs Board (MTA) officers found almost 100 kilograms of cocaine in two containers at the port of Muuga in January, the MTA press service said on Wednesday, the 31st of January, reports Estonian ERR News.
During an inspection on the 10th of January, 37 kilograms of cocaine were found in a container of peanuts bound for Russia and consigned to an Estonian company.
A few days later, on the 12th of January, a cargo ship from Ecuador with bananas and frozen shrimps, also bound for Russia, was subjected to an additional customs inspection, where more than 60 kilograms of cocaine were found hidden among the bananas.
The Public Prosecutor’s Office has opened criminal proceedings to establish the circumstances of both cases.
Raul Koppelmaa, head of the drugs unit of the MTA Investigation Department, stressed the agency’s vigilance in the different modes of transport, including land, air and sea.
Koppelmaa pointed out that cocaine usually originates in South America and container ships sailing from Ecuador to Russia pose an increased risk as criminals target new markets, including Asia and Scandinavia, with Estonia serving as a transit country in such cases.
Prosecutor Raigo Aas has highlighted the growing problem of cocaine’s extensive availability in Europe. He has attributed this to the increase in production and the criminal activities of international cartels and organised crime, which have intensified due to factors such as inflation.
He has stressed the importance of international cooperation to prevent cocaine and other hard drugs from reaching the streets, in order to prevent an increase in overdose deaths.
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