Donated Bananas Include Alleged Drugs Worth $18 Million
FREEPORT, TX - It’s usually the thought that counts, but sometimes, it could be your undoing. I don’t mean that in a spooky Halloween way—I mean that in a, “Oh no! Someone just donated a box of bananas that included alleged drugs!” kind of way. Word on the street is that two sergeants from a Texas prison picked up two donated pallets of bananas at the Ports of America in Freeport on Friday. The 45 boxes of ripe goods were donated to the Wayne Scott Unit in Texas’ Brazoria County and were never claimed.
“One of the boxes felt different than the others,” the Texas Department of Criminal Justice (TDCJ) said. “Inside, under a bundle of bananas, he found another bundle! Inside that? What appeared to be a white powdery substance."
After testing, the substance was deemed to be cocaine, which led to a full-on search of the banana shipment. The TDCJ reported that 540 packages of cocaine were found, with a street value of $18 million.
Authorities don’t know from whence the shipment came or to whom it was intended, but investigations are underway, according to NPR.
“Sometimes, life gives you lemons. Sometimes, it gives you bananas. And sometimes, it gives you something you’d never expect!” TDCJ shared.
The news source shares the statistics on bananas used as a vehicle for drug transactions:
- 9 tons of cocaine in a banana shipping container from Colombia were spotted by Spanish police in April. (The Associated Press)
- In February, Albanian police also discovered 1,350 pounds of the narcotic were discovered in a banana shipment from Colombia by Albanian police in February. (The Associated Press)
- 2.3 tons of cocaine were found in a banana shipment from Colombia and other South American countries by Romanian Authorities in July of 2016. (The Associated Press)
- 13 supermarkets in Germany received banana boxes containing cocaine from Colombia in January and May of 2015. (BBC)
How are criminals attempting to infiltrate our market with their dealings? Stay tuned to AndNowUKnow to keep up to speed on where and how the action is occurring.
