July 21, 2026 / 1:33 PM EDT
/ CBS/AFP
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Italian police on Tuesday said they seized pure cocaine with an estimated street value of $286 million that was hidden inside containers of bananas at a port in northwest Italy. It marks the latest instance of the illicit drug being concealed in a shipment of the tropical fruit. Some 1,700 pounds of cocaine was concealed in a refrigerated container from Ecuador among dozens of pallets of bananas found at the port of Vado Ligure, police said in a statement. Authorities released a video showing officers pulling the alleged drugs from the banana shipment. Following a previous drug seizure at the same port, authorities have increased monitoring of Vado Ligure as a potential transit point for international trafficking. Investigators said the port's role as a growing European trade hub also makes it an attractive target for criminal networks involved in illicit activities.
Italian police on Tuesday said they seized about 1,700 pounds of cocaine hidden inside containers of bananas at a port in northwest Italy.
