Dutch customs seize largest-ever heroin haul hidden in Himalayan salt containers
Dutch customs seized over 1,500kg of heroin in Rotterdam this afternoon after officials discovered narcotics hidden in containers filled with Himalayan salt. The drugs had a street value of around €45m.
The prosecutor’s office in Rotterdam said today investigators had worked closely with the UK’s National Crime Agency on this case. Based on information shared by their UK counterparts, the Dutch arrested five suspects, three of whom had been remanded in custody.
The high-end salt, only found south of the Himalayas in Pakistan, has a distinctive pink hue and generally costs up to 20 times the cost of regular table salt or sea salt. It was not the first time that drug traffickers had hidden narcotics in high-end imports.
Prosecutors said the investigation is ongoing and provided no further details.
The seizure comes less than a week after customs officials in Rotterdam intercepted 1,329 kilograms of cocaine hidden between bags of coffee beans.