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Italian authorities seized roughly 1,700 pounds of cocaine hidden among pallets of bananas at a major port, officials said Tuesday.
The drugs were divided into 650 packages and “skillfully concealed” inside a refrigerated shipping container that arrived at the port of Vado Ligure from one of Ecuador’s main ports, according to Italy’s Guardia di Finanza.
A field test conducted during the inspection determined the substance was “extremely pure cocaine,” officials said.
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Authorities said the bust was one of the largest anti-drug operations carried out at the port in recent years.
The shipment could have generated an estimated 250 million euros, or nearly $290 million, if it had reached the street market.
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The seizure followed an extensive analysis of commercial shipping routes linking South America with Vado Ligure, an important gateway for goods entering Europe — and an “attractive” target for international drug traffickers, according to officials.
“The operation forms part of an ongoing and targeted effort to combat the international trafficking of narcotics, including efforts to protect the most vulnerable segments of the population, who are often exposed to the harmful effects of this type of criminal activity,” Guardia di Finanza said.
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The seizure comes weeks after U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers discovered more than 1,100 pounds of cocaine hidden in a commercial tractor-trailer carrying cabbage at the Pharr Port of Entry in Texas.
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A canine inspection and nonintrusive imaging scan alerted officers to the concealed load, CBP said. A physical search of the trailer uncovered 477 packages containing 1,173 pounds of cocaine with an estimated street value of nearly $10.8 million.
Fox News Digital’s Leo Briceno contributed to this report.