German police smash cocaine ring accused of smuggling tons

BERLIN (AP) — German investigators say 14 suspects have been arrested in an investigation of a gang accused of bringing nearly five metric tons (5.5 U.S. tons) of cocaine from South America to Germany. German police said the investigation that led to Tuesday’s arrest was triggered by the seizure in a shipping container in Santos, Brazil in November 2018 of 690 kilograms (1,521 pounds) of cocaine addressed to a company in Berlin. That led them to a smuggling network dating back to at least 2011. The participants are also accused of using bogus companies to fraudulently apply for aid from coronavirus relief programs and launder money.