Dutch seize Rs8.74 bn heroin in container full of Pak salt

THE HAGUE: Dutch customs officers seized the largest heroin haul ever found in one bust in the Netherlands this month when they discovered more than 1,500 kg of heroin in the port city of Rotterdam, officials said on Tuesday, a British wire service reported.

“The narcotics were found by customs officers in a container filled with Himalaya salt from Pakistan,” the Rotterdam prosecutor’s office said in a statement. It added that it had worked together closely with the British National Crime Agency on the seizure. According to the Dutch, the seized drugs have a street value of some 45 million euros (Rs8.74 billion).

Based on information shared by their UK counterparts, the Dutch arrested five suspects, three of whom had been remanded in custody. No further information was given, but prosecutors say the investigation is ongoing.