_{Photo credit: Zoll.}

Customs authorities in Germany reported the seizure of 1.6 tons of cocaine worth approximately €30m discovered in a shipment of bananas.

With the support of the Hamburg police, officers of the Hamburg customs investigation office have succeeded a major blow against international drug trafficking.

The drugs were discovered in several shipping containers originated from Ecuador following a tip from the Hamburg port security center (HSZ).

“One of the containers showed irregularities that suggested it was carrying illegal cargo,” customs officials stated.

During the inspection, investigators found 1,600 packages of cocaine. The discovery was made in mid-March but was only made public by authorities on Friday.

Dr. Tino Igelmann, head of the customs criminal investigation office, explained: “The investigators of the joint drug investigation group of customs and police in Hamburg have succeeded a significant blow against drug-related crime. The port security center, as an instrument for combating international drug crime, has also made a substantial contribution to this success.”

The authorities did not disclose the destination of the containers with the bananas.

The joint drug investigation group Hamburg is conducting further investigation on behalf of the Hamburg public prosecutor’s office.