On 9 April 2025, the Guardia di Finanza and the Customs Agency announced the discovery of a shipment containing two tonnes of pure cocaine concealed inside a container that had arrived at the Tuscan port aboard the container ship Mersin Express. The drug haul, with a street value of €500 million, was packed into 1,800 bricks hidden within a consignment of cocoa powder that had been loaded in the port of Guayaquil, Ecuador. The discovery must have taken place before the public announcement, as the official statement from the financial police confirms that the entire load had already been destroyed at an incineration plant in Tuscany following its analysis and sampling.
Livorno is increasingly establishing itself as a key gateway for cocaine shipments arriving from Latin America, with a noticeable rise in such incidents. This latest seizure of two tonnes marks the largest ever uncovered on Tuscan docks, but it follows a pattern of growing trafficking activity. In January, officers found a 215-kilo shipment with an estimated value of €150 million. In the previous year, two further operations in the port led to the discovery of 60 kilos in January and 148 kilos in August.
