Chile seizes over 100 tons of drugs in record bust

Chilean authorities have made the largest drug seizure in the country's history, uncovering over 100 tons of cocaine and ketamine hidden within wood shipments bound for Europe. The government announced the successful operation, which is the result of a six-month investigation into a sophisticated smuggling scheme.

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Chilean authorities seized over 100 tons of drugs hidden in wood shipments destined for export to Europe, the country's government announced, calling the operation the largest drug seizure in Chile's history.

Investigators discovered that criminal groups used a chemical process to infuse the drugs into lumber, aiming to bypass standard international shipping controls. The seized narcotics, valued at more than $8.3 billion on the European market, could have yielded over 584 million individual doses. The shipments were reportedly headed to multiple countries, including Germany, Belgium, France, the Czech Republic, Spain, Portugal, Italy, the United Kingdom, and the United States.

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About 108 tons of narcotics were found in wood intended for export, into which cocaine and ketamine were introduced by chemical means.

Prosecutors noted that extracting the drugs from the wood requires specialized laboratories and complex chemical procedures. The investigation is ongoing, and authorities have not ruled out the possibility of finding more drugs as additional suspicious containers are examined. The value and sheer volume of the seizure highlight the significant scale of international drug trafficking operations.

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The value of the seized drugs on the European drug market is estimated at more than $8.3 billion.