Imogen Calderwood
AN OPPORTUNISTIC Spanish lorry that competed in the Dakar rally was stopped in France carrying a massive 1.4 tons of cocaine.
The vehicle was intercepted by French police at the port of Le Havre with the estimated €270million haul, according to ´Onda Cero´.
To catch some of the smugglers, the truck was allowed to leave the harbour and arrests were later made in Saint-Amond-Montrond, in central France.
The cocaine was hidden in tyres in the back of the truck, which belongs to the Spanish Epsilon team.
David Oliveras, the director of the Epsilon team, has been detained along with four team members, two from Spain and two from Bulgaria.
The tyres were loaded into the truck in Valporaiso, Chile, where the Dakar rally ended on January 18.
An investigation has been opened in Chile.
The 35th annual Dakar rally, which started in Rosario, Argentina on January 5, is an off-road endurance race in which bikes, quads, cars and trucks can compete.
