PORTUGAL and SPAIN – Police across the Iberian Peninsula uncovered more than vitamin C in their fresh fruit this week; authorities seized approximately 1,642 lbs of cocaine that had been transported from South America disguised in the skins of pineapples.
According to a press release from the Interior Ministry of Spain, the seized substance was being transported in canisters coated in yellow wax and stowed in hollowed-out pineapples. The illicit substance had made its way to Spain, via the port of Lisbon, from Panama through an import company that ostensibly transported shipments of pineapple from Latin America to Europe.
Some cocaine was seized at the port of Lisbon and in Madrid, where the drugs had made their way to be processed and distributed. Police arrested nine men in conjunction with their investigation—which began last April—and also recovered more than 400,000 euros cash (approximately $490,000 USD) as well as hydraulic presses, precision scales, and packaging equipment used to parse out and distribute drugs.
Spanish authorities described those arrested as members of “an organization, primarily made up of Colombian citizens and led by two brothers, dedicated to cocaine trafficking.”
Where will nefarious forces next attempt to infiltrate our industry? AndNowUKnow will keep you up-to-speed.
