BRASILIA, July 23 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Brazil seized 25.3 tons of cocaine bound for Europe and Africa in the first half of 2019, up more than 90 per cent on the same period last year, officials said.
Nearly half of the drugs were found at Santos port in southern Brazil, not far from where police recently arrested two men suspected of belonging to Italian mafia ‘Ndrangheta’.
Customs officials attributed the increase in seizures to better intelligence and increased vigilance along Brazil’s borders.
“Last year we seized 31.4 tonnes of cocaine, a record that we will surely beat again,” Arthur Cazella said.
The amount of cannabis confiscated more than doubled to 10.2 tonnes in the January-June period, up from 3.9 tonnes year-on-year.
Brazil, which has some 17,000 kilometres of land borders, is an important hub for international drug trafficking.
Drugs produced in Colombia, Bolivia, Venezuela and Paraguay are smuggled into Brazil and then sent to mainly European markets.
Some routes to Africa are also opening up, Cazella said.
Cocaine seizures have soared in recent years, from 958 kilogrammes in 2014 to last year’s record 31.4 tonnes. — NNN-AGENCIES
