January 30, 2019 - 6:17 AM
ROME - Italian authorities say they have seized 644 kilograms (1,420 pounds) of cocaine hidden in bags of Honduran coffee, one of the largest drug hauls in Italy in recent years.
In a joint statement Wednesday, Italian financial police and the customs agency said the drugs seized Jan. 15 at the port of Livorno had a street value of 130 million euros ($148 million).
The cocaine, packaged in 582 blocks, was hidden inside sacks of coffee in a container aboard a Portuguese-flagged cargo ship. Police said the container originated in Puerto Cortes, Honduras, and was transferred in Costa Rica to another ship bound for Spain. Its last port before Livorno was Algeciras, Spain.
The statement recalled the seizure of 308 kilograms of cocaine last year and another 253 kilograms in 2016.
News from © The Associated Press, 2019