400 Kilos of Cocaine Seized in Germany

German customs officers have intercepted one of the country’s largest drug hauls this year, seizing more than 400 kilograms of cocaine at the port of Hamburg on Saturday.

Two suspects were arrested following the dramatic operation.

The incident unfolded at the O’Swaldkai container terminal after dock workers spotted two unidentified men carrying over 20 sports bags from a vessel. Suspicious of their movements, the workers alerted nearby customs officers, who intercepted the suspects as they attempted to flee in a vehicle.

One man was apprehended immediately, while the second escaped on foot, triggering a large-scale police search supported by a helicopter.

He was later captured the same afternoon. Inside the suspects’ vehicle, officers found more than 20 bags stuffed with cocaine, weighing over 400 kilograms, authorities confirmed.

Hamburg, Germany’s largest seaport and the third busiest in Europe after Rotterdam and Antwerp, has long been a focal point for cocaine trafficking into the continent. More than 23,000 shipping containers pass through the port each day, making it a prime target for international smuggling networks.

German authorities have expressed growing alarm at the surge in cocaine imports. Holger Münch, head of the Federal Criminal Police Office (BKA), recently warned that Europe is becoming the new centre of the global cocaine trade, as demand in North America plateaus.