VILNIUS, Aug. 9 (Xinhua) -- A record-breaking 610 kg of cocaine was seized by Lithuanian customs authorities in the Baltic country's port city of Klaipeda, the city's territorial customs office announced on Wednesday.
Local media estimate the illegal drug shipment had a street value of 49 million euros (57.6 million U.S. dollars).
According to the customs officers, the shipment was destined for a market outside of Lithuania and is one of the largest drugs shipments in the country's history, local website 15min.lt reported.
The investigation into the suspected drugs shipment started in April when Klaipeda's customs office and the custom's criminal services detected secret hideouts in cargo arriving from Ecuador. The senders claimed that the cargo contained plastic molding machines.
Saulius Minkevicius, chief prosecutor at Klaipeda regional prosecutor's office, noted that part of the smuggled drugs could also have been destined for the European market.
"I believe the cargo was intended to be left in the EU market," Minkevicius was quoted as saying by local website 15min.lt.
Minkevicius stressed he could not name the specific countries to which the detained drugs cargo was assigned.
"The investigation will be difficult as it carries international character; the specifics is that transportation of such a big amount of drugs is an issue of international law," Minkevicius said.
Lithuania's Criminal Code anticipates the imprisonment of up to 15 years for storing very large quantities of drugs. Enditem
