Employees at a Norwegian fruit distributor discovered a packet of cocaine in a banana box, leading customs officials to uncover a stash totaling 147 kilos. This incident is part of a series involving cocaine hidden in fruit shipments. The discovery, made on April 3, has a street value of 170 million kroner ($16.4 million) and is the largest in Norway since 2023, when 2.3 tons were found, according to Norwegian Customs.
A dozen banana pallets had arrived at the warehouse and were under inspection using scanning equipment. Officials noted that the scanned images revealed "irregularities in some of the boxes on the pallet," prompting further investigation with a dog search.
© Norway Customs
The cocaine was smuggled by sea from South America and transported through Sweden, though it was likely not intended for the Norwegian market. "There is concrete information that suggests the cocaine was to be picked up at the Antwerp port, based on information through international cooperation with Europol and Belgian authorities," stated Norwegian Customs.
Customs official Tim Gurrik mentioned that a large criminal network was likely behind the smuggling attempt. "A seizure of such magnitude requires a great deal of financial and organizational muscle that only larger criminal networks have the ability to carry out," he said. "We see that the criminal networks behind the smuggling are willing to take risks and are adaptable."
Cocaine concealed in banana shipments has been found globally. Notable seizures include 9.5 tons in the Dominican Republic, over 200 pounds in Greece, and more than 6 tons in Ecuador, among others.
Source: CBS News
