Italian Police Seize $286 Million Cocaine Haul in 1,700-Pound Banana Shipment
Updated
Updated · CBS New York · Jul 21
Italian Police Seize $286 Million Cocaine Haul in 1,700-Pound Banana Shipment
2 articles · Updated · CBS New York · Jul 21
Summary
Italian police said 1,700 pounds of pure cocaine were found Tuesday in a refrigerated container from Ecuador hidden among dozens of banana pallets at Vado Ligure port.
The haul was valued at about $286 million on the street, and authorities released video showing officers pulling the packages from the shipment.
Vado Ligure has been under tighter surveillance after an earlier drug case; police this month also seized 340 kilograms of cocaine there worth an estimated 120 million euros.
Investigators said the northwest Italian port’s growing role as a European trade hub has made it an attractive transit point for international trafficking networks.
Banana shipments have repeatedly been used to conceal cocaine worldwide, with major seizures recently reported in the UK, Greece, Russia, Norway, the Dominican Republic and Ecuador.