Poland makes biggest cocaine bust in last 30 years

Warsaw, Poland – Poland has just successfully conducted one of its biggest crackdowns on drug cartels and cocaine smugglers, according to local reports.

Last week, Polish officials have seized two tonnes of cocaine originating from Colombia, Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki told reporters, following a major operation involving tax inspectors and customs authorities and spanning several months.

“This was the biggest amount of drugs seized in the last 30 years”, the Polish Premier told journalists during a press conference, adding that the record haul seized was worth more than 2 billion zlotys (around €500 million).

“I can gladly say we can sleep soundly knowing that the state is strong and efficient against some of the most challenging criminal groups”, he added, praising the work and level of cooperation between the different agencies and security services involved in the operation.

The cocaine cargo, officially passing as chalk, was stored in a factory located in west-central Poland and was supposed to be unloaded at the port of Gdynia.

Polish security forces have detained a number of people suspected of attempting to smuggle cocaine in the country, including four Colombians, two Polish citizens and one Iranian national permanently living in Germany.

According to Interior Minister Mariusz Kamiński, the record drug bust conducted by Polish authorities was a victory, not only for Poland, but also for a number of other EU countries, who risked being flooded with Colombian-made cocaine.