Police and customs officials have found 19 drug runners hiding in a container in Rotterdam port, including the first woman to be caught. She is 18 and from Rotterdam.

Six of the 19 are minors, all but a couple are teenagers and the youngest suspect is just 14. He is the second 14-year-old to be found hiding in a container waiting to retrieve drugs this week.

The 19 were hidden in what officials describe as a “Trojan” – an empty container that is used to smuggle runners into the port, so they can then fetch drugs that have been hidden shipments in other containers.

Sometimes the runners are stuck in the containers for several days and are provided with sleeping bags, a chemical toilet and food, police said.

Six of those caught were Belgian. Police also arrested a Bosnian truck driver.

In 2022, 251 people were caught hiding in the port area to pick up drug shipments. The same year, officials discovered almost 47 tonnes of cocaine hidden among imported goods.