German customs officials seize cocaine valued at $44.3M

BERLIN (AP) — German customs officials have seized 635 kilograms of cocaine among bananas shipped from Ecuador, authorities said Monday.

The cocaine, compressed into blocks and wrapped in plastic film, was found Oct. 27 in several packages in Duisburg in western Germany, the customs office in nearby Essen said.

The packages were wedged between bananas in a container shipped from Ecuador that had arrived in Germany via the Dutch port of Vlissingen. Employees at the company the bananas were delivered to noticed the packages and notified customs.

Authorities put the street value of the cocaine at about 44.5 million euros ($44.3 million), German news agency dpa reported.