Nearly $400 million worth of cocaine found in a shipment of bananas from Colombia has been seized by authorities in the United Kingdom.

In a joint operation, the Border Force and the National Crime Agency (NCA) officers discovered the packages of cocaine in five of the 20 pallets of bananas that arrived at Southampton Docks from Colombia on March 17.

The banana shipment, which arrived before being inspected, has reportedly been marked for examination. According to Daily Mail, wrapped packages of white powder were discovered in five pallets and tested positive for cocaine hydrochloride, a substance used to make crack cocaine.

Officers reportedly uncovered 3.7 tonnes of cocaine hydrochloride that was worth around £302 million (US$395 million) at current street prices.

According to Home Secretary Priti Patel, this was the largest seizure of cocaine in the U.K. since 2015. Patel said it should serve as a warning to anyone trying to smuggle illegal drugs into the country "that we are out to get them."

Patel noted that a key focus of the government's Beating Crime Plan was to "disrupt the supply chain and relentless pursuit of the criminals peddling narcotics, making the drugs market a low-reward, high risk, enterprise."

She added that the police and Border force have her "100 percent" backing to "use all available powers to stop devastating drugs" from coming into the neighborhoods and destroying lives.

Peter Stevens, NCA regional head of investigations, said this was a monumental seizure of cocaine, adding that the organized crime group behind the importation has been denied massive profits.

The NCA's latest strategic threat assessment showed that the U.K.'s cocaine market is estimated to be worth more than £25.7 million (US$33 million) daily in England, Scotland, and Wales, Sky News reported.

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Other Cocaine Seizures in U.K.

In September 2021, British authorities arrested six people after discovering drugs with an estimated street value of $221 million on a Jamaican-flagged yacht sailing from the Caribbean, NDTV News reported.

One British man was arrested on suspicion of drug trafficking with five Nicaraguans. NCA deputy director Matt Horne said there was no doubt that those drugs would have been sold into communities across the U.K.

In December 2021, cocaine with a street value of more than $117 million was found in a banana shipment from Costa Rica during an armed raid at a Kent airport.

 BBC reported that six men, including a security guard, were arrested after 100 officers stormed the Sheerness port. A seventh man was arrested in Hertfordshire, which led the raid. Authorities said at least 1.2 tonnes of cocaine were seized at the port.

Colombia's New Drug-Trafficking Strategy

Last February, Colombia, the United States' main ally in the drug war, announced the launch of a new strategy to fight drug trafficking.

According to Colombian Defense Minister Diego Molano, the strategy was to govern cyberspace to combat criminal groups involved in the cocaine trade and block their financial transactions.

The "Esmeralda" initiative, which was launched in the Caribbean city of Cartagena, would get its support from 36 countries, including the U.S.

At the III International Anti-Drugs Congress in February, Molano said he hopes to develop new and innovative tactics in the coming years to "fight against the global scourge of drugs."

Molano added that artificial intelligence would also be used to monitor the selling and trafficking of chemical ingredients used in drug making.

Colombia is known to be the world's leading cocaine producer. Illegal armed groups heavily influence the production and trafficking of drugs, including leftist guerrillas and criminal gangs developed from right-wing paramilitaries.

According to the United Nations, the South American nation reduced the number of coca plantations, the main ingredient in cocaine, by 7 percent in 2020, but potential output increased by 8 percent to 1,228 tonnes per year.

READ MORE: Cocaine Found in Christmas Cards Bound for New York at Guyana Post Office

This article is owned by Latin Post.

Written by: Mary Webber

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