Four arrested after £12,000,000 of cocaine found stashed in banana shipment
Friday 10 Jun 2022 3:00 pm
Four Brits have been arrested on suspicion of drug smuggling in Greece.
Authorities say almost 300kg of cocaine was found stashed in a shipment of bananas from South America.
Police estimate the haul is worth between €10 million and €14 million – the equivalent of up to £12 million.
The suspects, identified only as residents of London and Liverpool, were arrested at a rental home near the northern Greek city of Thessaloniki. They had been living in Athens for the past year.
They are all men aged 38, 45, 48 and 52, but they have not yet been named.
Police added a fifth British man, thought to be outside the country, was also wanted for questioning.
The crime was uncovered after an international operation between Italian and US authorities, Greek police added.
A video has been released showing the moment the suspects were busted by police.
The seized Class A drugs were intended for other European countries and Australia.
Earlier this year the largest seizure of cocaine in the UK in seven years was made, according to the Home Office.
Nearly four tonnes of cocaine was found – again in boxes of bananas, but this time in Southampton.
The containers had recently arrived in the city’s dock from Colombia and Border Force and the National Crime Agency targeted them for inspection.
They discovered more than 3.7 tonnes of cocaine hydrochloride, used to make crack cocaine, concealed within a container of 20 pallets of bananas last month.
Home secretary Priti Patel said: ‘This is the largest seizure of cocaine in the UK since 2015. It should serve as a warning to anyone trying to smuggle illegal drugs into the country that we are out to get them.’
https://metro.co.uk/2022/06/10/four-arrested-after-12000000-of-cocaine-found-in-banana-shipment-16804167/