Dutch police bust cocaine-smuggling airport gang

on 12/11/2012 12:03:29

Dutch police have busted a cocaine-smuggling ring at Amsterdam's main airport which used baggage handlers to smuggle drugs in from the Caribbean.

Twenty people have been arrested following an investigation that started in April.

Drug smugglers would notify baggage handlers about specific drug-filled suitcases that were arriving at Schiphol which would then be smuggled out by the airport workers.

Eight suspects were arrested in September, 10 in October and two more in the last week.

Police also confiscated some 70 kilos of cocaine.

Schiphol is Europe's fourth-largest airport with between 120,000 to 140,000 passengers passing through daily.