German Customs seized a record 3.8 metric tons (4.2 imperial tons) of cocaine in the Port of Hamburg, they announced on Thursday.

The drugs had a reported street value of 800 million euros ($920 million).

The drugs were seized from three separate shipments from South America between March and May, authorities said.

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Three separate seizures

The seizures all used the so-called rip-off method where legitimate shipments are exploited by traffickers

Authorities seized a shipment of about 1.5 metric tons at the end of March, then 1.6 metric tons in April, the largest ever secured in Germany, and then 788 kilograms (1737 pounds) in early May.

Customs said the seizures underscored a new trend in commercial drug trafficking. Officials said that, as they seized an increasing number of small shipments between 50 kilograms and 150 kilograms, traffickers were increasingly moving towards larger shipment sizes.

"This outstanding success by customs once again demonstrates that our control strategy, with a combination of intelligent risk analysis, the use of modern detection technology and hard working customs agents, is working" said Werner Gatzer, State Secretary at the Federal Ministry of Finance.

The first two shipments came from Paraguay and were both concealed in multiple containers of coal. The third seizure came from Uruguay in containers of animal feed.

Mother Nature's drug lab Cannabis - smoke it or wear it The cannabis plant contains the psychoactive substance tetrahydrocannabinol (THC). It makes people feel euphoric and relaxed and can also alleviate pain. The flowers of infertilized female plants contain particularly high amounts of THC, that's why they are taken for producing marihuana. Some cannabis species do not contain any THC at all and are grown for fiber production.

Mother Nature's drug lab Better than aspirin Opium poppy (Papaver somniferum) produces - you guessed it - opium. To harvest it, you simply incise the capsules and let the white latex exude and dry. Opium contains high amounts of morphine, the strongest existing pain medication. A chemical variation of morphine provides the semi-synthetic drug heroin.

Mother Nature's drug lab Fancy a magic mushroom? Mushrooms are chemical artists - some of them even produce psychoactive substances. Among them: this grey-coloured Pluteus salicinus. It grows on wood and contains psilocybin, which causes visual and mental hallucinations similar to LSD. Side effects are nausea and panic attacks.

Mother Nature's drug lab Drug snack to go Leaves of the coca plant harbour chemical compounds similar to cocaine. They alleviate pain and act as stimulants. In many countries in Latin America, chewing on raw coca leaves is quite common. It helps tourists deal better with altitude sickness, too. By fermenting and drying the leaves and processing them chemically, cocaine is produced.

Mother Nature's drug lab Beautiful poisonous flowers Angel's trumpets are beautiful to look at but you should refrain from tasting them. All parts of the plant contain alkaloids - chemical compounds with strong effects on the human body. When you eat or smoke the plant, your heart rate will increase and you will start to hallucinate. As with all natural drugs, finding the right dosage is difficult. Deadly accidents occur quite often.

Mother Nature's drug lab Bummer with thornapple On the internet, poisonous Datura plants - also known as thornapples - are advertised as natural drugs as well. Really not a good idea: The plant induces strong hallucinations, sometimes with a complete loss of reality. People tend to hurt themselves severely under its influence.

Mother Nature's drug lab Hawaiian Babies Argyreia nervosa is native to Asia, even though the plant is called Hawaiian baby woodrose. The seeds of this climbing vine contain ergine, a compound similar to LSD. It causes colourful visions and euphoria but also nausea, prickling and psychoses. Overdosing can happen easily as one seed alone already has a strong effect.

Mother Nature's drug lab Ecstasy with cactus The peyote cactus in Mexico and Texas is full of mescaline, a hallucinogenic compound that is illegal under the international Convention on Psychotropic Substances. Mescaline alters thinking processes and one's sense of time and self-awareness. The cactus is cut into pieces and eaten or boiled into a tea. The cactus species is now listed on the Red List as vulnerable.

Mother Nature's drug lab Beware of nutmeg Nutmeg in high amounts can act as a drug, since it contains the hallucinogenic compound myristicin. But don't worry: you'll never reach the necessary dosage if you only use nutmeg as a spice. Getting high on nutmeg seems a bad idea anyway, as side effects include headaches, nausea and diarrhea.

Mother Nature's drug lab Psychedelic leaves? Yes, it's true: the evergreen kratom tree (Mitragyna speciosa), native to Southeast Asia, incorporates the opioid-like compound mitragynine into its leaves. In traditional medicine, the leaves are chewed to relieve pain, increase appetite and treat diarrhea. But they can also be used to mix drug cocktails.

Mother Nature's drug lab One of nature's most dangerous killers The tobacco plant produces poisonous and addictive chemicals, such as nicotine and other alkaloids, and harbours them inside its leaves. With this poisonous cocktail, the plant tries to ward off animals that might want to eat it. When the leaves are dried and smoked, the chemicals enter the human body - together with many cancerous substances generated by burning tabacco. Author: Brigitte Osterath



Rip-off method

All three shipments used the so-called "rip-off" method. In this method, legitimate shipments are exploited to smuggle contraband, without the knowledge of the shipper nor the consignee, according to the UNODC. The 2016 EU Drug Markets Report found this method accounted for 70 percent of seizures in 2012.

"Corrupt officials and port employees facilitate this form of trafficking, and there are concerns that the (organized crime groups) involved in cocaine trafficking may be making systematic efforts to corrupt workers in all major ports to facilitate shifting of routes as necessary," the EU report said.

In this instance, the colorful packages of cocaine were hidden in sports bags just behind the container doors to be removed, along with a fake customs seal, by someone in the Port of Hamburg.

The EU Drug Markets Report found that Rotterdam was the main point of entry for drug smugglers, but that Hamburg was handling increasing traffic.

A UN report released on Friday found that coca production in Colombia had surged to its highest level in 20 years. As the recent arrest of a massive drug king-pin showed, cocaine is often produced in Colombia and shipped out of the continent from countries such as Uruguay.

According to the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), the street price of a gram of cocaine was typically $81 (70 euros) a gram in 2015 and had a purity of about 69 percent.