Three countries unite to combat fruit drug ring
Spanish, Costa Rican and U.S. anti-narcotics authorities have joined together to fight a drug ring that hides cocaine in pineapple shipments to Europe, Notimex reported.
The international operation labelled 'Yoses' began in late-2010, helping the European country detain 20 people and seize 204kg (449.7lbs) of the drug. The story reported the drugs ring was coordinated from Costa Rica.
A spate of similar cases have come out recently with origins in other parts of Latin America, such as Ecuador and Colombia.
Ecuador's narcotics police recently found 1.3 metric tons (MT) of cocaine hidden in pineapple and banana shipments, while a US$30 million stash of marijuana was found in a truck carrying bananas in Colombia.
Related stories: Ecuador sniffs out pineapple cocaine traffickers
US$30M worth of marijuana found in Colombian banana cases
British suspect caught in Costa Rica pineapple cocaine bust
Photo: El PaÃs / Ministerio del Interior
Source: www.freshfruitportal.com