LA PAZ – Bolivia announced a record cocaine seizure from the country’s western Oruro department, officials said on Jan 5, giving the drugs a local street value of US$224 million (S$298 million), but nearly double that in Europe where the illicit cargo was likely headed.

Bolivian President Luis Arce described the roughly 8.8-tonne bust as the largest ever recorded in the South American country in a post on social media.

He added that the drugs were hidden in wooden flooring materials found in a truck, and were likely headed to the Netherlands, where their value is estimated at some US$526 million.

The operation included the arrest of four suspected drug traffickers stemming from nine raids, according to officials. REUTERS