The HARC team Rotterdam, a collaboration between port police, customs and Fiod, intercepted another 250 kilos of cocaine on the final day of 2016. Five men have been arrested. The drugs were immediately destroyed. The drugs were in boxes of bananas from Ecuador. The boxes were unloaded by a ship at a logistical fruit company on New Years Eve. The HARC team entered the company soon after a truck came to collect the boxes of bananas with drugs.

One of those arrested is a company employee. He is suspected of abusing his position. Two other people who were hired by an agency have also been arrested. Searches of the homes of the suspects revealed tens of thousands of Euros. Two firearms and three tasers, a money counting machine, jewellery, a few hundred kilos of illegal fireworks and other valuable goods were seized.

Those arrested are between the ages of 29 and 47 and are from Rotterdam, Schiedam, Spijkenisse and Berkel and Rodenrijs. The five were presented to the magistrate on Tuesday, who is holding them for 14 days. The investigation is still in full swing and the HARC is not ruling out more arrests.