Paraguay’s drug enforcement agency has seized more than four tons of cocaine hidden in sacks of sugar that were to be transported to Belgium from the capital Asuncion, authorities said Tuesday.

The amount seized — 4,016 kilograms — is a “historical record,” the head of the National Anti-Narcotics Secretariat, Khalil Rashid, said with satisfaction during a press conference.

“This is the largest shipment (of drugs) that has been seized to date,” confirmed Oscar Orue, a Paraguayan tax official.

The operation, dubbed “Glyka”, was carried out by a special unit, which located the suspicious containers at the private port of Kaakupemi.

According to the authorities, the operation is not yet finished and “we may have more surprises.”

For criminals, this loss of merchandise represents a loss of 220 million euros, according to the Anti-Drug Secretariat, which bases its calculation on the selling price of cocaine in Europe.

The destination of the huge amount of drugs was the port of Antwerp, Belgium.

Cocaine trafficked through Paraguay was seized at the port of that city in 2019 and twice in 2020, as well as at the port of Hamburg, Germany, in 2021.

The previous record seizure was announced in October 2023, when some 3,312 kilograms of cocaine were found in the port of Vigieta.