Polish Police Discover €1 Million Worth of Cannabis Disguised as Tomato Paste
Polish law enforcement officers have found 120 kg of cannabis concealed in tomato paste buckets arriving from Spain in a truck.
Agropolska reports that the narcotics were hidden in the semi-trailer of a lorry transporting food products from Spain. The vehicle was stopped in the Greater Poland Voivodeship.
During a roadside check, officers from the Main Investigative Bureau in Poznan (CBŚP) confiscated 120 kg of marijuana packed in vacuum-sealed polyethylene bags.
"The drugs were transported from Spain to Poland in a trailer in seven barrels designed for transporting food products. The cannabis, packed in airtight bags, was hidden in 80 large buckets. According to the documents, it was supposed to be tomato paste," police officials said.
Initially, the police estimated the wholesale value of the confiscated marijuana at approximately 2 million Polish zlotys. "However, if this product had made it to the market, dealers could have earned up to 5 million zlotys (€1 million)," the authorities reported.
According to Lukasz Wawrzyniak, a spokesperson for the Poznan regional prosecutor's office, as per the investigation's version, the discovered batch of marijuana was intended for distribution to clients in the Greater Poland Voivodeship.
"During the operation, CBŚP police officers arrested a 44-year-old driver, who is being accused by the prosecutor's office of transporting and attempting to circulate significant amounts of narcotics within the community," the prosecutor added.
The suspect has been temporarily detained for three months and could face up to 20 years in prison. Investigators emphasize that the case is ongoing and do not rule out further arrests.
Medical cannabis was legalized in Poland in 2017. However, it can only be obtained from non-fibrous hemp, with a THC content not exceeding 0.3%. Patients require a prescription to access cannabis from pharmacies. While growing hemp is prohibited, importing pharmaceutical ingredients from hemp to Poland is allowed.
Furthermore, cultivating hemp at home is legal in Poland, but the cultivation area must not exceed one hectare annually. A permit from the National Center for Supporting Agriculture is required for hemp cultivation. Growing cannabis with a THC content exceeding 0.3% at home is prohibited.
As previously reported by The Gaze, approximately €2 million (1.7 million pounds sterling) worth of marijuana was seized at Dublin Port using a mobile X-ray scanner and a narcotics detection dog, revealing about 100 kilograms of the drug.