Smugglers hid nearly 67kg of cocaine in pineapples in Spain
Spanish police has arrested a group of drug smugglers
who stuffed cocaine into dozens of hollowed-out pineapples to try and
avoid detection.
The
fruits — containing nearly 67 kilograms of cocaine — were found at the
Mercamadrid, a wholesale fruit and vegetable market in Madrid, where
they arrived from Costa Rica via the Portuguese port of Setubal, Agence France-Presse reported.
Each pineapple was “perfectly hollowed out and stuffed with compact cylinders” containing the drug and was coated with wax or yellow paraffin to conceal the “odours of the chemical products which the drug contains and avoid its detection,” police said in a statement, according to The New York Post.
Seven suspects were arrested — three in Madrid and four in Barcelona — in connection with the smuggling ring.
Spain is the main entry point to Europe for cocaine from South America, mostly from Colombia, and smugglers often turn to creative means to get drugs past customs officials.
In recent years, authorities have located cocaine inside breast implants, a wig, a wheelchair cushion, a plaster cast encasing a man’s broken leg as well as inside a 42-piece crockery set.
Each pineapple was “perfectly hollowed out and stuffed with compact cylinders” containing the drug and was coated with wax or yellow paraffin to conceal the “odours of the chemical products which the drug contains and avoid its detection,” police said in a statement, according to The New York Post.
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| Spanish police said they have seized 67 kilos of cocaine found inside dozens of hollowed-out pineapples. Picture: Spanish National PoliceSource:AFP |
Spain is the main entry point to Europe for cocaine from South America, mostly from Colombia, and smugglers often turn to creative means to get drugs past customs officials.
In recent years, authorities have located cocaine inside breast implants, a wig, a wheelchair cushion, a plaster cast encasing a man’s broken leg as well as inside a 42-piece crockery set.
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