Authorities Find $18 Million Worth of Cocaine in Bananas Donated to Prison

Authorities announced that boxes of bananas gifted to a Texas prison contained almost $18 million worth of cocaine.

Bananas in a grocery store
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Image via Getty/Godong

Bananas in a grocery store

Authorities announced that boxes of bananas gifted to a Texasprison contained almost $18 million worth of cocaine, the Associated Press reports.

The Texas Department of Criminal Justice posted the news on Facebook, sharing that the drugs were uncovered on Friday in two pallets of bananas, which were donated to the prison because they were ripe. 

"Sometimes, life gives you lemons. Sometimes, it gives you bananas," the department wrote, continuing, "Two sergeants of the Scott Unit arrived to pick them up, and discovered something not quite right. One of the boxes felt different than the others. They snipped the straps, pulled free the box, and opened it up. 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."

U.S. custom officials counted 540 packages of cocaine in 45 boxes of bananas. Federal officials and U.S. Customs and Border Protection are now investigating.

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