US EditionRussian Customs Authorities Seize $153M Worth of Cocaine Hidden in Banana Shipment
RUSSIA, JUL 16 – Russian customs seized 820 kilograms of cocaine worth $153 million concealed in banana shipments, prompting a large-scale trafficking investigation amid rising smuggling through Russia.
- On Wednesday, Russian customs authorities seized 820 kilograms of cocaine under a shipment of bananas, marking their largest bust from Latin America this year.
- International traffickers are increasingly using Russia as a transit hub, the Federal Customs Service of Russia reported, as traffickers turn to Russia after Odesa port became inaccessible due to the ongoing war in Ukraine.
- Service dogs from the Federal Customs Service of Russia detected the cocaine hidden in a cavity under bananas, revealing an elaborate concealment method.
- Launching a probe, investigators charged suspects in a large-scale trafficking case, a charge that under Russian law carries a maximum sentence of life imprisonment.
- According to Izvestia, cocaine smuggling into Russia has surged over the past two years, and in recent months the drug has been found hidden in banana shipments worldwide.
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Jyllands-Posten
Cocaine has been found in 12 different supermarkets in connection with a current case of drugs in banana boxes. The National Unit for Serious Crime, NSK, informed Ritzau on Thursday. The Coop chain ...
The Russian authorities confiscated the largest number of drugs from 2025 in Russia, discovering 820 kilograms of cocaine coming from Latin America, hidden in bananas, reports AFP.
Russian Customs Authorities Seize $153M Worth of Cocaine Hidden in Banana Shipment
Russian customs authorities said Wednesday that they seized 820 kilograms (1,800 pounds) of cocaine hidden under a shipment of bananas, calling it their largest bust of drugs from Latin America this year.
Several packages of cocaine have been found in a shipment of bananas to Coop. According to experts, this is not an unusual method of smuggling. There is a specific reason for it.
Almost a ton of cocaine was hidden among bananas. Russian customs authorities say they have made a large cocaine discovery in St. Petersburg in cooperation with the FSB security service. Approximately 820 kilograms of cocaine were found in a container containing bananas. The container originated in Latin America. This is reported by the St. Petersburg media Fontanka, citing a statement from the Russian Federation Customs Service.
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