French customs officers have seized nearly 3.9 tonnes of cocaine worth an estimated €225 million ($261 million) at the northern port of Dunkirk, authorities said Thursday.

The cocaine was concealed in a container carrying plastic waste that had arrived from Ghana, according to France’s organised crime prosecutor’s office.

Part of the shipment was destined for Antwerp, Belgium, the prosecutor’s office said.

The cocaine has since been destroyed and an investigation has been opened.

French judicial police had been targeting the criminal network allegedly behind the shipment before the seizure, authorities said.

The investigation includes charges of organised drug trafficking and participation in a criminal association, offences that carry prison sentences of up to 10 years.

French customs officers seized 108.81 tonnes of narcotics of all types across the country in 2025, with an estimated value of €2.197 billion, according to authorities.