Spanish police seize six tonnes of cocaine hidden in banana cargo

Undated handout photo issued by Bobbie Gordon of a banana that she purchased from Asda. Ms Gordon thought the supermarket had made a typo when she was charged £930.11 for the 11p banana. PRESS ASSOCIATION Photo. Issue date: Wednesday April 18, 2018. See PA story SOCIAL Banana. Photo credit should read: Bobbie Gordon/PA Wire NOTE TO EDITORS: This handout photo may only be used in for editorial reporting purposes for the contemporaneous illustration of events, things or the people in the image or facts mentioned in the caption. Reuse of the picture may require further permission from the copyright holder.

26th October 2018

Spanish officials have seized more than six tonnes of cocaine hidden among bunches of bananas at an industrial estate in Malaga and arrested 16 people in connection to a suspected drugs ring, police said in a statement on Thursday.

More than 300,000 euros in cash, weapons and high-end cars were also confiscated after raiding more than 20 homes and business in relation to the bust, the police said.

A police statement said the suspects were smuggling drugs from Latin America via a company dedicated to importing large quantities of bananas and other fruit from Costa Rica, according to a statement.
The investigation into the drugs ring lasted for almost a year and also involved Portuguese and U.S. officials, it said.

In April, Spanish police made a record seizure of nearly nine tonnes of cocaine in a shipping container that was also carrying bananas in the port of Algeciras.