Sales value in the millions
“Since the processing and evaluation of the second delivery has not yet been completed, one can therefore assume that several hundred kilograms have been seized,” said the State Criminal Police Office. The sales value of the seized drugs is in the mid double-digit million range.
Search at the end of last week
The search of the fruit ripening plant has been running since last week. Edeka confirmed the police operation to MDR SACHSEN at the end of last week. “We actively turned on the police there yesterday and are supporting the investigation,” said an Edeka spokesman for MDR SACHSEN on Friday. LKA and the public prosecutor’s office did not want to comment on the background of the operation at this time.
Banana crates used as drug hideouts are not uncommon
Nationwide, police and customs have already seized hidden drugs in food shipments on several occasions. According to media reports, 660 kilograms and 1,200 kilograms of cocaine have been discovered in banana boxes at a fruit dealer in Brandenburg since the summer of 2022. The drugs had a retail value of 50 and 96 million euros. At the beginning of 2022, employees of a food company in the Mittelsachsen district discovered 700 kilograms of cocaine in a delivery of sugar cane from South America.