The mayor of the municipality of Moerdijk closed a plot and business premises in Klundert on Friday for a period of two years. In January, almost 5,000 kilos of cocaine were found there.
The cocaine shipment was discovered in early January in the port of Rotterdam and was subsequently allowed through and monitored. When the containers were further transported and delivered to the company in the municipality of Moerdijk on January 22, the cargo was intercepted.
The 4,830 kilos of cocaine is one of the largest loads of coke ever intercepted in our country, the Public Prosecution Service previously announced.
By closing the building for a longer period of time, the municipality hopes to prevent serious criminals from returning to the site. “Our port must be a safe haven. For companies, employees and residents. We do not accept criminals abusing our infrastructure, our companies or our people. We intervene immediately where necessary,” Moerdijk Mayor Aart-Jan Moerkerke said.
What is the value of that much cocaine?
In the jungles of South America, coke is only worth a few thousand euros per kilo. As soon as the stuff crosses the ocean and arrives in Rotterdam or Antwerp, that increases to 15,000 euros. That is the wholesale price, what criminals charge each other.
It is then transported again. Dealers on the street in the Netherlands mix it with other substances (adulteration) and then charge 50 euros per gram. This makes one kilo worth 50,000 euros. But if you mix in many other substances you get more drugs and you can increase the price even further. A careful calculation shows that the Moerdijk party is worth almost a quarter of a billion euros on the street.
Most cocaine is transported from the Netherlands to countries where it is worth even more, such as Finland and Sweden. There you can get 75 euros or more for a gram. That quickly brings the value of this Moerdijk party to half a billion euros.
