Cocaine Bust: Police Confiscate Record Amount Concealed In Charcoal Shipment In Paraguay

Paraguayan police on Tuesday confiscated a record amount of cocaine concealed in a charcoal shipment. The 2.3 tons of cocaine was the largest drug haul ever seized in the South American nation and is estimated to be worth $500 million.

The drugs were found in a container near the capital, Asuncion. Authorities have already arrested two people involved in the drug smuggling operation.

There were also five other containers in the shipment still being searched. The final cocaine haul could be more than three tons, according to Paraguay’s interior minister.

The charcoal shipment had Israel as its final destination. The shipment was also scheduled to make stops in Buenos Aires and Antwerp, Belgium.

Paraguay has struggled to tackle drug trafficking in recent years. In November, nearly two dozen Paraguayan police officers were accused of covering up a drug ring spearheaded by a Brazilian trafficker.

The terrorist group Hezbollah has been involved with Latin American cartels to move cocaine. Cocaine being disguised as a charcoal shipment is known as “black cocaine.”