French customs authorities have seized nearly 3.9 tonnes of cocaine worth an estimated €225 million (US$261.45 million) from a container of plastic waste that arrived at the northern port of Dunkirk from Ghana, according to Reuters.

The seizure was made on Thursday, September 10, at the port of Dunkirk.

The cocaine was concealed inside the container, which was partly destined for Antwerp in Belgium.

According to France’s organised crime prosecutor’s office, the seizure followed a targeted operation by the country’s judicial police against a criminal network suspected of being behind the shipment.

French authorities have since destroyed the cocaine, while prosecutors have opened an investigation into the shipment and the network allegedly responsible.

The investigation is focused on offences including the organised importation of narcotics and participation in a criminal association.

Those offences carry penalties of up to 10 years in prison under French law.

Reuters reported that French customs officers seized 108.81 tonnes of narcotics across the country in 2025, covering all types of drugs, with an estimated value of €2.197 billion.

The latest seizure is part of the French authorities’ efforts to disrupt international drug trafficking networks and intercept large consignments of cocaine entering the country.