SLOVENIA - A recent drug bust has revealed that a staple produce item has been victimized, as Maltese customs officers recently seized a record of 1.5 tonnes (~3.3K pounds) of cocaine disguised amongst a shipment of bananas.

The shipment was traveling from Colombia to Slovenia, according to the Slovenian Press Agency, and was seized at Malta Freeport. Authorities discovered the package to hold an estimated $312 million worth of cocaine.

Upon discovering the drugs, customs officers seized 50 bags containing 1,494 one-kilo wraps of cocaine on board a ship bound for Koper, Slovenia. According to Customs, this seizure is a record in terms of volume and value.

In 2019, a total of 750 kilograms of cocaine were seized by Maltese customs officers in 13 raids, and 612 kilograms in 2020, while 740 kilograms were seized in Malta last year. Currently, this case is still being investigated by the Malta Police Narcotics Department.

As always, we at ANUK tip our hats to the many officials dedicated to uncovering the misuse of fresh produce to back drug trafficking efforts.