THESSALONIKI, GREECE - A shipment of bananas was found to have contained smuggled narcotics recently in Greece. Greek authorities seized 105 kilograms (~230 pounds) of cocaine, arresting 10 people suspected of smuggling drugs from South America to Europe.
Police have reported the arrests were made in coordination with the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), which took place in northern Greece’s port city of Thessaloniki. Officials said the drugs were unloaded from a merchant ship several days earlier. The cocaine was hidden in a consignment of bananas from Ecuador that was headed for North Macedonia, police said in a statement.
Thessaloniki is a major gateway for goods heading to markets in North Macedonia and other Balkan countries. The suspects, identified as seven Greek and three Albanian nationals, were arrested after they allegedly removed the drugs from hollow external sections of the shipping containers that held the bananas, continued AP News.
Greek police said the operation was carried out with assistance from the DEA. They said they were seeking the arrest of one more person.
ANUK will continue to report on the updates and the rescues of fresh produce.
