Italian authorities have seized 1,700 pounds of cocaine with an estimated street value of $290 million, hidden inside a refrigerated banana shipment at the port of Vado Ligure. The drugs, divided into 650 packages, were discovered during a routine inspection of a container arriving from Ecuador, according to Italy’s Guardia di Finanza. A field test confirmed the substance was "extremely pure cocaine." The bust is one of the largest anti-drug operations at the port in recent years, officials said.
The seizure follows increased monitoring of Vado Ligure as a transit point for international drug trafficking. Authorities noted the port’s role as a growing European trade hub makes it an "attractive" target for criminal networks. The operation is part of ongoing efforts to combat narcotics trafficking and protect vulnerable populations from drug-related harm.
This incident is part of a broader trend of cocaine being concealed in banana shipments worldwide. In recent months, similar seizures have occurred in Greece, the UK, Russia, Norway, and the Dominican Republic, with authorities in those countries also uncovering large quantities of cocaine hidden among the fruit.