Authorities in the Dominican Republic have seized about 9.5 tons of cocaine from a shipment of bananas at the country’s most important port.
The drugs were found in a shipment from Guatemala that arrived at the port of Caucedo in Santo Domingo, said Carlos Devers, a spokesman for the Dominican Republic’s Drug Enforcement Agency. Shipping schedule is Belgium.
The seized cargo is worth about 19,000 pounds and has a value of $250 million, officials said.
Jose Adames/AP
Devers said at a news conference that 10 suspects were in custody.
This is another large-scale seizure by state authorities. The country seized nearly 47 tons of drugs in 2024, including a stash of 660 pounds. Found on a boat near Puerto Rico.
At the beginning of this year, spanish officials Thirteen tonnes of cocaine was seized from a shipment of bananas. In February 2024, British authorities discovered more than 12,500 pounds of cocaine hidden inside a banana parcel. Both of these discoveries set records.
Jose Adames/AP
The Dominican Republic has long been considered a major transit point for drugs. The previous largest seizure in history was in 2006, when authorities discovered more than 5,680 pounds, or nearly 3 tons, of cocaine at the port of Caucedo. This latest attack is more than three times that size.
