Russia Confiscates $150 Million Cocaine Stash Hidden Within Banana Cargo   

Drug traffickers are increasingly perceiving the nation as a crucial transit point, partly due to the Ukrainian port of Odesa becoming unreachable amid Russia’s military advancements.

On Wednesday, Russia declared the interception of 820 kilograms (1,800 pounds) of cocaine surreptitiously concealed beneath a banana shipment, marking the largest narcotics seizure from Latin America this year.

Cocaine trafficking into Russia has intensified over the last two years, according to the Izvestia newspaper.

Drug smugglers are increasingly considering the country as a transit hub, due in part to the Ukrainian port of Odesa being rendered inaccessible by Russia’s military campaign, the newspaper reported.

Russia’s customs authority, in conjunction with the FSB security agency, announced the discovery of a consignment valued at “over 12 billion rubles ($153 million)” hidden within banana containers.

The cocaine parcels disguised in briquettes emblazoned with the insignia of a French luxury fashion house were located in a “concealed compartment” beneath the bananas, it reported.

The operation was conducted following intelligence from “foreign counterparts concerning the intent of a South American crime syndicate to establish a smuggling route for cocaine into Russia.”

An investigation has been initiated into large-scale drug trafficking, a charge that in Russia incurs the maximum penalty of life imprisonment.

Russia upholds a zero-tolerance policy towards drug consumption and smuggling, enforcing stringent penalties on those convicted of trafficking even minimal quantities of narcotics including foreigners.