Drug smugglers appear to be trying to become increasingly inventive at hiding illegal substances inside unusual items in an attempt to get them into countries.
From coffee beans to crates of fruit, it’s all been tried before – but this one seemed especially nuts.
Police discovered a huge shipment of coconuts filled with liquid cocaine in Colombia last Thursday.
A total of exactly 504 bags inside 19,780 coconuts were found by the authorities in a container at the port of Cartgaena.
Its destination was intended to be Genoa in Italy.
A police statement said: ‘Upon inspection, it was established that the water in the tropical fruit had been exchanged for liquid cocaine.’
The operation was carried out by Colombia’s Attorney General’s Office’s Specialised Directorate against Drug Trafficking, and the National Police’s Anti-Narcotics Directorate.
Officials are now investigating to find out where the container was loaded so they can hunt down those behind the drug smuggling attempt.
Colombia has passed the information on to police in Italy for help with the investigation.
And it’s not the first time drugs have been spotted hidden in unusual ways as smugglers attempt to get substances through strict borders.
Some 18 months ago police in Italy seized a packet of coffee beans intricately stuffed with cocaine. There were around 500 of them in the bag.
And a year ago Border Force officials in Southampton uncovered around £76 million worth of cocaine in a shipment of bananas destined for Europe.
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