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Wood laced with €7 billion worth of drugs

Article by Thomas Schweighofer (adapted for holzkurier.com; translated by Eva Guzely) | 09.06.2026 - 11:16

According to several news agencies, Chilean authorities discovered drugs worth more than €7 billion hidden in lumber shipments headed for Europe.

1,080 tons of wood were found impregnated with more than 100 tons of cocaine and ketamine. The shipment originated in Bolivia. The lumber was supposed to be shipped to Europe where the drugs were to be extracted from the wood in specialized laboratories, as the Chilean Customs Bureau explained in a statement. The seizure of the drugs at the ports of Arica, San Antonio and Valparaíso followed months of investigations.

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