TURBO, COLOMBIA - In a staggering display of illicit activity and drug bust seizures by authorities, a record-breaking eight tons and $240 million worth of cocaine was pulled off of a banana plantation in Colombia. 

Felicitaciones @PoliciaColombia: operativo en Turbo incautó la mayor cantidad de droga en la historia. Golpe contundente a criminales.⁠⁠⁠⁠

— Juan Manuel Santos (@JuanManSantos) May 15, 2016

This raid targeted the Clan Úsuga, or Urabeños gang, which is renowned for using means of violence and intimidation to push cocaine trafficking. In a public tweet, President Juan Manuel Santos congratulated Colombian police forces in this historic moment, and called the operation a blow to criminals.

Of the eight tons recovered, nearly 1.5 tons were already ready for export, according to a statement made by Defense Minister Luis Carlos Villegas to the BBC. 

.@PoliciaAntiNar y #BloquedeBúsqueda @PoliciaColombia incautaron 8 toneladas de cocaína del #ClanÚsuga en #Antioquia pic.twitter.com/kiS32BwdB1

— Mindefensa Colombia (@mindefensa) May 15, 2016

This epic seizure is the largest on Colombian territory, although Villegas noted that larger have occurred at sea. During the raid, three suspects were captured and three evaded authorities. Authorities stated that over the past five years, 6,700 of the 8,700 gang members have been seized. 

U.S.-trained Colombian commandos searched for a year leading up to the raid for the gang’s head, Dario Antonio Úsuga, in a campaign called Operation Agamemnon. The gang’s leader is still at large, with a $5 million reward from the U.S. State Department for information leading to his arrest.

Colombian officials said that they are currently encouraging farmers to replace their illicit crops with legal harvests to capitalize and export.

Keep an eye on AndNowUKnow as we continue to report on the changing state of Colombian agriculture, and the battle between the produce industry and the criminal underside.