Chile seizes wood laced with 'historic' 100 tons of drugs
Chile has announced its largest-ever drug seizure. About 1,080 tons of wood were found laced with illegal drugs — mostly cocaine and ketamine — headed to Europe
Authorities in Chile said on Monday that they had seized over 100 tons of drugs concealed in lumber shipments, calling it a "historic" bust.
A total of 1,080.8 tons of wood impregnated with about 100 tons of illegal drugs was seized at the ports of Arica, San Antonio and Valparaiso, a statement from the Chilean Customs Bureau said.
The lumber was supposed to head to Europe, according to the AFP news agency.
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Doped wood
The Chilean statement cited Security Minister Martin Arrau as saying that the seizure shows the "magnitude and sophistication" of the organised crime facing Chile.
The joint effort by Chile's prosecutor's office, maritime police and customs office comes after a six-month investigation that identified 45 containers containing tainted lumber.
The wood was mostly laced with cocaine and ketamine, customs officials said.
"This constitutes the largest seizure in Chilean history, considering that, of each shipment of wood detected, between 10 and 20% corresponds to illicit substances, which amounts to 100 tons of drugs," the statement said.
The quantity of drugs was estimated to have a retail value of $8.3 billion (€7.19 billion) on the European market, the bureau said.
If the cargo had reached its intended destinations, the drugs would have to be retrieved using "advanced chemical processes" in specialised labs, the customs bureau said.
