The packages of cocaine were concealed in a cargo of bananas which had been transported from South America.

British authorities on Friday said they had found more than 12,500 pounds of cocaine hidden in a shipment of bananas, shattering the record for the biggest single seizure of hard drugs in the country.

The National Crime Agency said 5.7 tons of cocaine were found in a container of bananas at the port of Southampton on England’s south coast on Feb. 8. The haul of drugs had an estimated street value of $568 million, the agency said.

Before the massive bust, the previous largest seizures of drugs in the U.K. was a 3.7-ton haul of cocaine found in Southampton two years ago, and before that, 3.2 tons discovered on a tug boat in Scotland in 2015, the agency said.

The packages of cocaine found this month were concealed in a cargo of bananas which had been transported from South America, and officials believe the drugs were headed to Hamburg, Germany, “for onward delivery.”

  • The AssmanEnglish
    16•9 months ago

    Here’s a crazy idea, but hear me out: what if the government produced the cocaine and taxed it, taking billions of dollars away from criminals and creating millions in new tax revenue. People are gonna do coke no matter who makes it.