A trucker who had EUR 1 million of liquid amphetamine hidden in plastic tanks in his cargo has been seized by customs police in Germany.
Inspectors found 15 litres (3.9 gallons) of the drug which includes speed stashed in containers concealed by the 23-year-old driver’s cargo of electrical equipment on Saturday, 18th November.
Police believe that the drugs originated in the Netherlands and were driven across Germany. The truck was registered in Slovenia.
Experts believe that the liquid, seized in Raubling, in Bavaria, when converted to a solid form would have had a street value of more than EUR 1 million (GBP 862,412).
The liquid was carried in two plastic canisters of five and ten litres (1.3 and 2.6 gallons).
Customs spokesperson Christian Schuettenkopf said in a statement obtained by Newsflash: “The drug is very caustic in liquid form and can cause serious injury if touched.”
Schuettenkopf added: “From the total amount, an estimated 50 kilogrammes [110 lbs] of amphetamine could have been produced for street sale after further chemical treatment and expansion of the resulting substance.”
Police, it emerged, had been tipped off about the illicit cargo and had been tracking the truck until it tried to cross the Austrian border.
Schuettenkopf explained: “Munich customs investigators became aware of the transport as part of the international exchange of intelligence.
“The truck, which had presumably started its journey in Rotterdam, was stopped on federal highway 8 in the southbound direction at the Wasserwiesen exit near Raubling.
“Further investigations were carried out by the South Bavaria Joint Narcotics Investigation Group [GER] of the Munich Customs Investigation Office and the Bavarian State Criminal Police Office.”
The Traunstein Public Prosecutor issued an arrest warrant for importing a significant amount of narcotics against the driver on Sunday, 19th November.
Amphetamine is a synthetic substance that acts as a stimulant to the central nervous system, triggering the release of norepinephrine and dopamine.
Its effects can last up to 12 hours.
