German police seize a record 35 tons of cocaine in 2023

German police and customs investigators have intercepted a record amount of 35 tons of cocaine in 2023, according to a preliminary forecast released on Tuesday, reported dpa.

In 2022, around 20 tons had been seized, a spokesman for the Federal Criminal Police Office (BKA) said. The previous record amount had been seen in 2021, with 23 tons, he said.

Public broadcaster Norddeutscher Rundfunk reported earlier this month that the total quantity could even reach 40 tons in 2023.

"Since 2017, the quantities of cocaine seized in Germany have increased significantly," according to the BKA's latest situation report on drug-related crime, which was published in October.

In 2018, the authorities had only seized 5 tons. This means that the quantity is likely to have increased sevenfold within five years.

The majority of the cocaine arrives in Germany from South America via container ports, primarily Hamburg and Bremerhaven. By December, more than 30 tons of the drug had been seized in German ports, according to a spokesman for the Hamburg Customs Investigation Office.