Italy and UK Each Find Cocaine Hidden in Shipments of Bananas
European authorities are reporting that refrigerated shipments of bananas continue to be one of the favored means of smugglers for the delivery of cocaine. In the same week, the authorities in both the UK and Italy reported large seizures coming from South America.
Italy’s Guardia di Finanza said the seizure on July 20 represented one of the most significant anti-drug operations carried out in recent years at the Vado Ligure port in the Savona region. They noted that they are closely examining trade routes with South America coming through the port and highlighted that the port has become an increasingly important crossroads for trade flow to Europe. As such, they said it has also become a desirable port for the drug smugglers.
They reported that the latest seizure was “cleverly hidden among dozens of pallets of bananas.” It was coming from “one of the main ports” in Ecuador in a refrigerated container.
The search uncovered 650 blocks, which testing confirmed to be pure cocaine. They reported a total weight of over 770 kg and estimated the value at more than €250 million.
Two days after the Italian seizure, the UK's National Crime Agency also discovered cocaine hidden in a shipment of bananas (NCA)
The UK’s National Crime Agency also reported a large seizure made on Wednesday, July 22. It is also monitoring shipments coming from South America and targeting the arriving reefer ship Atlantic Klipper operated by a Dutch company for an inspection. The ship was coming from South America and the Caribbean, arriving in Portsmouth.
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The inspection seized 240 kg of cocaine, which was also hidden in crates of bananas. The authorities estimated the value of the cocaine at more than £19 million.
Banana shipments have long been targeted by the police as a favored technique of drug smugglers. In 2020, police in Rotterdam reported a seizure totaling 743 kg of cocaine at the port, but it was small compared to a stash of over 2,000 kg also found in a shipment of bananas coming from Ecuador in June 2020. British authorities in February 2024 called a seizure of 5,700 kg of cocaine, also hidden with bananas, possibly the largest seizure of narcotics in British history. However, the largest title seems to go to Spain, which seized over 13,000 kg coming from Ecuador, also in a shipment of bananas.
