The Dominican Republic confiscated the largest amount of cocaine in its history during a single operation on Saturday, December 7.
As per BBC, officials announced that the cocaine was being transported with the goal of reaching Europe.
Authorities uncovered 9,500 kg of cocaine hidden in a banana shipment at a port in Santo Domingo.
The drugs were packed in 320 bags and were estimated to be worth $250 million.
Communications chief Carlos Denvers said in a statement, noting, "Many unknown individuals tried to transfer the drugs to another container that would be shipped on a vessel to Belgium."
The National Drug Control Directorate stated that at least 10 individuals linked to the port are being investigated, with initial findings suggesting that these bananas were shipped from Guatemala.
As per the outlet, recent cocaine seizures are much larger than the one made by Dominican officials in 2006, where they confiscated 2,580 kg of drug at the same port.
Previous reports suggested that cocaine consumption is on the rise in several Western European countries, including the UK, Belgium, Spain and France.
Not only this, a United Nations (UN) report found that in 2020, Europe was responsible for 21% of the world’s cocaine users.
