Record Cocaine Haul Discovered Concealed in Banana Shipment Marks Largest Bust in Russian History

Russian customs and law enforcement officials announced on Friday that they had intercepted over 1.5 metric tons of cocaine hidden in a shipment of bananas from Ecuador, marking the largest drug seizure in the country’s history.

The Federal Customs Service and the FSB reported that the stash, estimated to be worth over 20 billion rubles (approximately $240 million), was uncovered at a shipping terminal in St. Petersburg on August 29, following a lead from unspecified «foreign partners.» Authorities stated that 1,500 brick-shaped packages of cocaine were concealed within 63 boxes of bananas on board the cargo ship Cool Emerald.

A video released by the FSB depicted boxes labeled “Twins,” “Premium Bananas,” and “Product of Ecuador” stacked both inside and outside the shipping container. The total weight of the cocaine was recorded at 1,515 kilograms.

A source from the fruit shipping industry in St. Petersburg, who wished to remain anonymous, informed The Moscow Times that while drug seizures at the city’s ports are frequent, the magnitude of this particular haul likely accounts for the heightened attention it received.

“My shipments have been confiscated at least twice a month, often more frequently,” the source revealed. “And that’s just for one company; there are numerous others operating in Russia.”

Officials did not specify if Ecuador served as the point of origin for the shipment or merely a transit point. An investigation has been launched into the extensive smuggling operation, and authorities are actively seeking to identify individuals connected to the drug trafficking ring.

Since the closure of Ukraine’s Odesa port after Russia’s invasion in 2022, Russia has increasingly become a key transit route for Latin American cocaine destined for Europe.

Reporting contributed by Mack Tubridy.