Unsuspecting employees of a German discount grocery chain found millions of euros worth of cocaine concealed within crates carrying bananas.
German authorities announced Monday that 95 kilograms (210 pounds) of cocaine worth €7 million ($7.8 million) was found hidden in crates of bananas sent to multiple branches of the unnamed grocery chain. The drugs were found in multiple cities in the state of North Rhine-Westphalia, including Duisburg, Krefeld, Viersen, Heinsberg and Neuss after being first discovered on Sept. 10 by workers at two locations in the city of Mönchengladbach.
"The investigators are working on the assumption that the food discounter was not the correct recipient for the delivery, but received the goods in error," Mönchengladbach police said in a statement.
This is the latest of multiple drug discoveries in stores elsewhere in Europe. Just a week earlier, over 40 kilograms (88.2 pounds) of cocaine was discovered similarly concealed within banana deliveries to multiple Grand Frais branches, a French supermarket chain, in the Bourgogne-Franche-Comté region of eastern France.
Earlier this year, in April, stashes of cocaine were found within banana deliveries at atleast 4 branches of supermarket chain Lidl near Berlin. German news outlet Bild reported that between 20-100 kilograms (44-220 pounds) of the drug were found at each branch.
Police in Italy seized 2,700 kg of pure cocaine hidden in bananas shipped from Ecuador and bound for Armenia. pic.twitter.com/MYN1aJSptJ
— Mike (@Doranimated) May 16, 2023
"Due to the amount of packages found and the number of markets affected, the Joint Drug Investigation Group at the Brandenburg State Criminal Police Office is coordinating the further investigations in close cooperation with the Berlin police and the Berlin-Brandenburg customs investigation office." said Berlin Police spokesperson Beate Kardels in April.
Though the possession of cocaine is partially decriminalized in Germany, the sale, transport and cultivation of cocaine is illegal.
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