Nearly 17 kg of cocaine found hidden in banana shipment in Athens

Almost 17 kilos of cocaine was found in a shipment of bananas from Colombia that ended up at a fruit and vegetable wholesaler in Rendi, southwestern Athens.

Police confirmed on Thursday that the bananas were first shipped to Italy and then brought to Greece by truck.

The shipment was unloaded at the warehouse on May 2.

Officers from the drugs squad were called by the company after workers found 14 packages hidden in three of the crates containing bananas.

Police also found a GPS device among the fruit.

The drug traffickers are thought to have used it to track the shipment.

Last summer around 500 kilos of cocaine was found in a consignment of bananas.