IFrankfurt police and investigators from the Customs Investigation Office discovered the smuggling of more than half a ton of cocaine during a nationwide operation. As the customs together with the police and the Cologne prosecutor's office announced on Thursday, the four men are strongly suspected of trafficking. They are believed to be behind the organized trade and are now in custody.

The cargo was discovered on January 4 this year during a customs inspection at the port of Hamburg. The cocaine was hidden in a total of 520 banana crates that were brought by ship from Ecuador. Since the shipment was addressed to a company in Frankfurt, further investigation was taken over by the Frankfurt authorities.

The focus was on four male suspects between the ages of 36 and 57. His residences include Cologne, Leverkusen, Hamburg and Wuppertal. In the early evening of January 11, customs and police arrested them. According to customs, the police and the prosecutor's office, they are accused of illegal importation of drugs and illegal trafficking of large quantities of drugs.

In subsequent searches, including in Hamburg, Leverkusen, Wuppertal and Dortmund, more than €30,000 in cash and various electronic media were seized. Investigators did not comment on what will happen to the drugs. According to reports, they were intended for the Frankfurt market. For years, the city has been considered one of the biggest transshipment points in Europe.

The Joint Narcotics Investigation Team, established in 1980 by the merger of customs and the police, which aims to fight cross-border drug crime, took part in the operation.