Bolivian police confiscated 27 tons of shredded coca leaves on Monday concealed in yerba mate tea packets, the first such seizure in the country. Police say the leaves were destined for Lebanon, where they would be processed into cocaine.
The coca leaves were found in a warehouse in Santa Cruz. Two people were arrested in the operation, during which officers found the coca leaves labelled as yerba mate tea, a popular, caffeine-rich beverage.
The shredded coca leaves were set to be exported to Lebanon through a Chilean port.
The leaves are valued at around $350,000, but once processed into cocaine, the value would rise to $90 million.
Coca leaves when chewed act as a mild stimulant. Indigenous Andean people have long chewed the leaves as a way to prevent altitude sickness.
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