
The Spanish police have destroyed an Albanian criminal gang that tried to smuggle 5 tons of cocaine hidden inside a load of bananas.
The drugs entered Spanish territory through the port of Malaga and were then transported to a warehouse in an industrial estate in Alicante, where they were seized.
Spanish police that this was the largest amount of cocaine ever seized in the province.
The cocaine, which came from Ecuador in a shipment of bananas, had a purity of 87% and would have a market value of more than 265 million euros.
Spanish media reports that 5 Albanian citizens were arrested during the operation.
Officers tracked down two lorries carrying the drugs and saw the goods being unloaded by gang members wearing fluorescent clothing identical to regular workers in the area.
According to the police, the drug traffickers had taken extreme measures to maintain personal safety, constantly changing their place of residence and frequently traveling abroad. To camouflage the illegal business they had opened regular businesses and companies in the area posing as entrepreneurs.