Officials in Bolivia seized a record 8.7 metric tons (9.6 U.S. tons) of cocaine that was hidden in a shipment of wood flooring tiles en route to the Netherlands, NL Times reported.
The wood flooring was being transported by truck when it was stopped and searched by investigators. The Bolivian minister of government, Eduardo del Castillo, said it was believed to be the largest cocaine seizure in the country’s history. The amount of cocaine seized was valued at $526 million.
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The seizure, which was announced Jan. 5, resulted in four arrests, nine raids and four property seizures. The investigation is ongoing.
"This great feat is due to the analysis of information that our troops carried out, managing to identify a container where the cocaine was skillfully camouflaged in wooden boards," the Bolivian special forces unit said in a statement. “We will continue to operate in every corner of our country, because the fight against drug trafficking is a never-ending job.”
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