In a shocking and unprecedented turn of events, authorities in Klecany, near Prague, have made a monumental discovery, unearthing a staggering 650 kilograms of cocaine concealed within a shipment of organic bananas at an Albert supermarket distribution center. This substantial seizure, estimated to have a street value of around CZK 2 billion, has sent shockwaves throughout the region and raised concerns about the scale of drug trafficking operations.

Nova television, a reputable news outlet, broke the story, confirming the incident through National Drug Control Centre (NDC) spokesperson Lucie Šmoldasová. Warehouse employees stumbled upon the illicit cargo during the unloading of the banana shipment on a Saturday afternoon, promptly alerting the police. The discovery was first reported by the news server Tn.cz.

Šmoldasová provided insights into the discovery, stating, “Suspicious packages were noticed by workers at the Albert supermarket warehouse while unloading biobananas on Saturday afternoon. The police were notified immediately. Upon further examination, these packages were found to contain kilogram quantities of an unidentified substance, which was later identified as cocaine through random sampling.”

Preliminary estimates indicate that the seizure of 646 kilograms of cocaine could translate to an astonishing two billion crowns in the illegal drug trade. The illicit substance is reportedly valued at approximately 3,000 crowns per gram, as reported by Nova television.

Insider information obtained by Nova, from a source with connections to the headquarters, reveals that each of the 42 crates concealed more than 15 kilograms of the illegal drug. The police response, involving riot police, commenced on Saturday around 3 pm and extended until 9 pm, marked by a meticulous and heavily guarded transfer of the confiscated cocaine.

In response to this significant breakthrough, law enforcement carried out additional raids across various warehouses associated with the supermarket chain. However, these searches yielded no additional narcotics. Šmoldasová confirmed, “A comprehensive search of the entire banana shipment was conducted, which was en route to the Czech Republic from Ecuador via Amsterdam.”

Albert supermarket, central to the investigation, refrained from providing further comments due to the ongoing nature of the police inquiry.

This discovery ranks among the largest cocaine seizures in Czech history. A similar incident took place in June of the previous year, involving the interception of over 800 kilograms of cocaine concealed within banana crates across multiple Czech supermarkets. Notably, another case unfolded in April 2015 when a 100-kilogram cocaine shipment was discovered within banana crates at a supermarket located in Prague’s Zbraslav district. These incidents underscore the extent of the challenge posed by drug trafficking and the importance of sustained law enforcement efforts to curb its proliferation.

Article by Prague Forum