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Italian Authorities Seize $290M Cocaine Hidden in Ecuadorian Banana Container

Italian customs officials uncovered nearly 1,700 pounds of cocaine concealed in a refrigerated shipping container at the Port of Vado Ligure on the country's northwestern Mediterranean coast, about 30 miles southwest of Genoa. Officers discovered 650 brick-shaped packages nestled among banana pallets during a cargo inspection on Tuesday. The shipment originated in Ecuador, a leading global banana producer. The Guardia di Finanza, Italy's financial police, worked with the Italian Customs and Monopolies Agency on the interdiction following intelligence work. Authorities targeted container traffic moving between South America and Europe, one of the world's busiest trade lanes for fresh produce. Laboratory testing confirmed the packages contained high-purity cocaine valued at approximately 250 million euros. Traffickers exploited the legitimate produce shipment to evade detection. The seizure represents one of Vado Ligure's largest recent cocaine intercepts.