In a dramatic drug bust at a prominent Italian port, law enforcement officials uncovered approximately 1,700 pounds of cocaine ingeniously hidden among banana shipments, authorities announced on Tuesday.
Officials from Italy’s Guardia di Finanza reported that the illicit cargo was carefully divided into 650 packages and strategically stashed within a refrigerated shipping container. This container had made its way from a major port in Ecuador to the port of Vado Ligure.
Field tests conducted during the investigation confirmed the substance to be “extremely pure cocaine,” according to officials.
These 650 packages of drugs were meticulously hidden inside the chilled container. (Photo Credit: Italy Border Police / AP)
Authorities highlighted that this drug seizure ranks among the most significant anti-drug efforts executed at the port in recent years.
The shipment could have generated an estimated 250 million euros, or nearly $290 million, if it had reached the street market.
Authorities said the bust was one of the largest anti-drug operations carried out at the port in recent years. (Italy Border Police / AP)
The seizure followed an extensive analysis of commercial shipping routes linking South America with Vado Ligure, an important gateway for goods entering Europe — and an “attractive” target for international drug traffickers, according to officials.
“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.