The Texas Department of Criminal Justice (TDCJ) discovered cocaine inside the 45 boxes of bananas delivered to them recently. The TDCJ took to their official Facebook account last Sept. 22 where they shared pictures of the boxes of Dole bananas they received, showing the packs of cocaine buried under the fruit.
“This morning, TDCJ was donated 2 pallets of bananas, 45 boxes, from Ports of America in Freeport. They were being donated due to already being ripe,” wrote TDCJ. “Two sergeants of the Scott Unit arrived to pick them up, and discovered something not quite right.”
The TDCJ wrote that one of the boxes felt different, which led the sergeants to open the boxes. Upon inspection, they found a “white powdery substance” beneath the bundles of bananas, prompting them to contact port authorities.
“One of the boxes felt different than the others. They snipped the straps, pulled free the box, and opened it up,” wrote TDCJ. “Inside, under a bundle of bananas, he found another bundle! Inside that? What appeared to be a white powdery substance. They immediately notified port authorities and awaited their instruction.”
The United States Customs and Border Protection (CBP) also arrived on the scene where they tested the substance positive for cocaine.
The 45 boxes of bananas have since been emptied, revealing 540 packages of cocaine with a staggering estimated value of $17,820,000 (about P970 million).
Meanwhile, the CBP and the Drug Enforcement Administration are continuing their investigation.