Italian authorities have seized about 1,700 pounds of cocaine hidden in a shipment of bananas at a key port, officials announced Tuesday.
According to Italy’s Guardia di Finanza, the narcotics were split into 650 packages and “skillfully concealed” inside a refrigerated container that had arrived at the port of Vado Ligure from one of Ecuador’s main ports.
During the inspection, a field test confirmed the substance was “extremely pure cocaine,” officials said.
The cocaine was packed into 650 parcels and carefully hidden inside a refrigerated shipping container. (Italy Border Police / AP)
Officials described the seizure as one of the biggest anti-drug operations conducted at the port in recent years.
Had the shipment reached the street market, authorities estimated it could have been worth about 250 million euros, or nearly $290 million.
Authorities called the operation one of the largest drug seizures at the port in recent years. (Italy Border Police / AP)
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The bust came after investigators closely examined commercial shipping routes between South America and Vado Ligure, a major entry point for goods into Europe and, officials said, an “attractive” target for international drug trafficking networks.
“The operation forms part of an ongoing and targeted effort to combat the international trafficking of narcotics, including efforts to protect the most vulnerable segments of the population, who are often exposed to the harmful effects of this type of criminal activity,” Guardia di Finanza said.
The shipment could have generated an estimated 250 million euros, or roughly $290 million, if it had reached the street market. (Italy Border Police / AP)
The seizure comes weeks after U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers discovered more than 1,100 pounds of cocaine hidden in a commercial tractor-trailer carrying cabbage at the Pharr Port of Entry in Texas.
A canine inspection and nonintrusive imaging scan alerted officers to the concealed load, CBP said. A physical search of the trailer uncovered 477 packages containing 1,173 pounds of cocaine with an estimated street value of nearly $10.8 million.
