SPAIN - A massive criminal organization operating through a banana company in Ecuador was recently discovered to be responsible for the 9.5-tonne (20,944 lbs) cocaine shipment that was recently uncovered by Spain’s National Police. The drugs were seized from a refrigerated container at the port of Algeciras, where officials uncovered the cocaine hidden in boxes of bananas.

“The criminal organization—responsible for the supply of cocaine to the most powerful networks in Europe—had an extensive business network for the shipment of maritime containers from Ecuador to Spain,” police commented.

According to reports from TradeWinds, the banana boxes had 30 different logos that police believe represent different groups that were to receive the shipment. The source also noted that the drug bust was announced on Friday as part of a joint operation, Operation Nano, of the National Police, and the Spanish Tax Agency’s Customs Vigilance Service uncovered what they described as the largest cocaine shipment to date in Spain.

The operation was launched after officials learned of the criminal business network linking Ecuador to the ports of Vigo and Algeciras. The Tax Agency had been watching 15 containers expected to arrive in Spain this month before the inspection leading to the recent bust.

In a recent statement, officials also explained that the unnamed criminal organization relied on a sophisticated logistics network that could move 40 containers of bananas per month, and operated through a company at the Ecuadorian port of Machala involved in the international banana trade.

“This operation has been an unprecedented blow to one of the most important criminal organizations worldwide in the distribution of cocaine, whose recipients were the main criminal networks in Europe,” the National Police said.

Officials did not share the name of the vessel involved.

We applaud these authorities for their efforts to protect the world’s produce from the acts of criminals.