Colombian officials carried out an offensive operation this week to capture more than five metric tons (MT) of cocaine hidden in banana boxes in the Turbo cargo terminal on the country's Caribbean coast. 

On March 6, Colombian Defense Minister Luis Carlos Villegas said the drugs would have had a street value of close to €350 million (US$434 million) in Europe.

"Today 5.3 tons of pure cocaine were seized that were ready to be sent to European markets," Villegas said.

The minister described the operation was a significant blow to the financing of organized crime, particularly against the "Gulf Clan".

He said the seizure was the biggest since the anti-narcotrafficking task force 'Neptune' was launched in the Urabá department in February 2015.

"This successful operation is the fruit of many months of monitoring with naval intelligence and support from the National Police and the Attorney General's Office. It is another blow that adds to the one in Tumaco two days ago, where 1.2 tons of cocaine were seized," he said, adding 60MT of the illicit substance had been captured in the year to date. 

The shipment was going to be sent on a ship with the flag of Cyprus which was bound for Belgium.

.@armadacolombia con apoyo de @PoliciaColombia y @FiscaliaCol incautó en las últimas horas cargamento con 5,3 toneladas de clorhidrato de cocaína perteneciente al #ClandelGolfo: #LCVillegas pic.twitter.com/0s0OAkZA1s

— Mindefensa (@mindefensa) March 6, 2018

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