In a significant anti-narcotics operation, Greek authorities seized 34 kilograms of cocaine cleverly concealed within a banana shipment on a container ship. The seizure took place on Monday, August 5, by the Greek anti-narcotics team.
The vessel, whose name has not yet been revealed, arrived at the container terminal in Piraeus. The Hellenic Coast Guard estimates the street value of the confiscated cocaine to be about $1.1 million.
This successful bust was facilitated by intelligence from US authorities, specifically the HSI (Homeland Security Investigations) Office at the US Embassy in Athens. The cocaine was found hidden inside a refrigerated container that was supposed to be carrying bananas from an Ecuadorian port.
Upon inspection, it was discovered that the 34 kilograms of cocaine were split into 30 packets, each marked with a different logo. This variety of logos has led police to believe that 30 different groups were set to receive portions of this shipment. The drugs were thought to be destined for Hamburg, Germany, for further distribution.
This incident is reminiscent of a case last year when 9.5 tons of cocaine were found hidden in banana shipment at the port of Algeciras.
