600kg of marijuana from the US intercepted in Luxembourg

One of the biggest operations of recent years in Luxembourg remained secret for almost four months. Only on 1 December 2025 did the Grand Duchy prosecutor's office officially confirm: back in August, a shipment of 600 kilograms of high-grade marijuana was intercepted at the customs office of the cargo terminal at Findel airport. The reason for the delay in publication was to avoid interfering with the ongoing international investigation.

It all started on Friday, 4 August, with a routine document check on three pallets arriving by cargo plane from the United States. According to the accompanying papers, the contents were "cotton plaids" for a Dutch company. But inconsistencies in the documents made customs officials suspicious. A scanner check quickly confirmed the worst guesses.

Inside the boxes were 903 vacuum bags, each containing 600-700 grammes of marijuana. The total weight of the cargo was about 600 kilograms. Toxicological analysis confirmed a high concentration of the active substance, indicating industrial, possibly laboratory-level processing and packaging of the goods.

The police were immediately notified and joined the operation. The entire consignment was seized by order of the prosecutor's office. As the drugs were not intended for distribution in Luxembourg, the operation quickly became international: law enforcement agencies in Belgium and the Netherlands became involved. On 7 August, the consignment was transported under police control to the Netherlands, to the address given in the documents. There, while receiving the pallets, the recipient of the shipment was detained. His name and his role in the scheme have not yet been disclosed.

The first court hearing in the Dutch court took place on 17 November. However, the Luxembourg prosecutor's office emphasises that the details of the case are not yet to be disclosed in order not to prejudice further investigations.

The operation underlines the importance of international co-operation and the high skills of the customs services: despite carefully drafted documents, the scheme was uncovered thanks to the attention and technical equipment of the inspectors. Against the backdrop of growing international smuggling, Luxembourg, at the crossroads of Europe's logistical routes, is becoming not only a transit hub but also an important point in the fight against global drug trafficking.