A joint Spanish-Portuguese drugs bust has resulted in the seizure of a shipment of fresh pineapples…containing 745kg of cocaine hidden inside the fruits. Yep, these pineapples had been stuffed with hundreds of kilos worth of illegal drugs.
Smugglers had cleverly disguised the drugs in cylinders covered in hardened yellow wax made to look like the fruit, and used emptied out pineapple skins as covering sleeves.
The shipment was from South America, and police believe it travelled from Panama to the port of Lisbon by sea. The Iberian Peninsula is a major entry point for cocaine and other drugs entering Europe, known to be a hotspot for drug smuggling either directly from Latin America or via North and West Africa.
This particular smuggling job was believed to be the work of an international drugs ring led by two Columbian brothers. The seizure was part of an ongoing police operation targeting the gang that began way back in April 2017.
The 10-month operation finally came to fruition as along with seizing the pineapples, police also made nine arrests and dismantled a lab where the drug was being cut with additives.
If you think pineapples stuffed with cocaine is a pretty weird attempt at drugs smuggling, think again. Smugglers have been known to get very creative with their methods in the past.
Just a few choice examples: fake shipments of carrots filled with weed, cocaine in avocados, counterfeit money hidden in rolls of bread, a lava lamp, and a bagful of ecstasy hidden in Mr. Potato Head.
Yes, you heard me, loads of ecstasy tablets were once found in a Mr. Potato Head toy sent to Australia from Ireland. Bet that would have made for a dramatic episode of Border Security!
Follow Annie Simon on Twitter: @annieasimon
This article originally appeared on The Debrief.