'Drugs' Found in Relief Supplies to Turkey... Suspected Abuse of Transport Route

Found on Road Near Rotterdam Port

Controversy has arisen after 'drugs' were found in relief supplies from the Netherlands heading to T?rkiye, which was hit by a major earthquake. Local investigative authorities are currently probing the source of these drugs.

According to Dutch media such as 'NL Times' on the 9th (local time), Dutch police discovered drugs in one of six trucks bound for T?rkiye and Syria.

The vehicle was found on a highway leading to the Port of Rotterdam, the largest port in Europe, and was confirmed to be owned by a logistics company based in The Hague. The drugs were reportedly hidden among the relief supplies at the time of discovery.

A police spokesperson stated, "We found the drugs during an investigation following a tip-off." However, the police did not disclose specific details such as the type or quantity of the drugs. The drugs seized from the truck have since been destroyed.

One of Europe's largest trading ports, Rotterdam Port in the Netherlands / Photo by Yonhap News

Subsequently, the police conducted thorough inspections on the remaining five trucks and plan to send the relief supplies to the affected areas once the investigation is complete.

Earlier, on the 6th, a magnitude 7.8 earthquake struck southeastern T?rkiye, resulting in approximately 20,900 cumulative deaths by the 10th. Countries around the world, including those in Europe, have been sending relief supplies to T?rkiye and Syria. It is presumed that these drugs infiltrated the relief supply transport route through the Netherlands, targeting shipments headed to Europe.

Meanwhile, the Port of Rotterdam has recently gained the notorious reputation as the 'drug hub of Europe' due to the surge in drug trafficking.

According to a report by the U.S. media outlet 'Bloomberg' on the 7th, South American criminal organizations are smuggling drugs into Europe through the ports of Rotterdam and Antwerp in Belgium, using these locations as bases to transport drugs across Europe, including France, Spain, and Italy.

According to the 'European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction' (EMCDDA), approximately 3.5 million Europeans used cocaine as of 2021, and in 2021, a Dutch journalist covering European drug organizations was fatally shot.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.