Customs officials at the Dutch port of  Rotterdam have seized three metric tons (MT) of cocaine hidden in vats of banana puree.

The drugs would have had a value of €225 million (US$306 million) if they had reached the open market, the public prosecution department told DutchNews.nl.

The container was on its way from Ecuador to a company in Basel, Switzerland but the company has no connection to the drugs, the department said.

The find is one of the biggest made in Rotterdam. In March, officials seized four tons of cocaine hidden in a container that also came from Ecuador.

In May, justice minister Fred Grapperhaus said he was allocating a further €5 million to tackle crime at the port.

Recently custom enforcement officers found cocaine in banana containers in southern Turkey that also came from Ecuador.

Drugs hidden in containers carrying fruit are often intercepted at ports either before they set out or upon arrival like the huge 3.5MT container of cocaine destined for Rotterdam.

There have been various other interceptions in the continent over recent months, with the cargo usually coming from Latin America.