RIGA: Latvian police on Monday seized more than two tonnes of Ecuadoran cocaine in the central town of Koknese, a record haul for the Baltic state.
"This coke shipment was most certainly destined for some other country, presumably to drug dealers in Scandinavia," Latvian criminal police chief Andrejs Grisins told reporters.
"We confiscated 2,195 bricks of 80 percent pure cocaine that were packed into 42 banana boxes."
He added that the confiscated drugs had a potential street value of up to a billion euros ($1.1 billion).
Five Latvians were arrested and face up to 15 years in prison as part of the operation, which is the largest drug bust in Latvian history.
The operation was a joint effort between Latvian and Ecuadoran police, as well as the United States Drug Enforcement Agency, Latvian police chief Ints Kuzis said.
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