Greece Seizes 34 Kilos of Cocaine in a Container with Bananas

The Hellenic Coast Guard seized another load of cocaine smuggled in a refrigerated container with a shipment of bananas from South America. This latest discovery comes just over two months after Greek and U.S. authorities reported breaking up what they believed was a major ring responsible for drug smuggling into Europe.

Authorities reported that they inspected three containers coming off an unnamed containership arriving at the Piraeus container terminal. The legal cargo of bananas had been loaded aboard the vessel in Ecuador.

Inside one of the three containers, the police discovered 30 slabs of cocaine. They reported the total gross weight of the shipment at thirty-four kilograms and three hundred and fifty-four grams. The estimated total value was reported at €1 million ($1.1 million).

The shipment is under investigation. The police reported that it was discovered in cooperation with the U.S. Homeland Security Investigations office of the U.S. embassy in Athens.

 

30 blocks were discovered mixed in with the bananas with a value of over $1.1 million (Hellenic Coast Guard)

 

Bananas have proven to be one of the favored methods used by the cartels in their smuggling operations. In February 2024, the UK's National Crime Agency made what it believed was the largest seizure of narcotics in British history. They found 5.7 tonnes of cocaine concealed within a cargo of bananas from South America. Similarly, in 2023, Spanish authorities reported their largest seizure, one totaling over 9 tons of cocaine also arriving with a shipment of bananas from Ecuador. Two weeks prior, Dutch authorities reported they had seized more than 8 tons of cocaine also with a shipment of bananas arriving in Rotterdam.

The Greek authorities working with the Americans reported the arrest in May 2024 of two Albanians and two Greeks as part of a months-long investigation. They seized 210 kilos of cocaine hidden in a shipment of shrimp arriving at the port of Piraeus. The police also found more than $141,000, a shotgun, bullets, mobile phones, and documents detailing the drug operations.

European authorities reported record levels of drug smuggling in 2023 leading to new efforts to crack down on the operations including increasing port security to reduce the infiltration by members of the drug operations. As efforts increase in the major ports including Rotterdam and Antwerp, smugglers are using smaller and regional ports in an effort to thwart detection.