Colombia's biggest cocaine bust was "not on a banana farm", claims union - FreshFruitPortal.com

Colombia's biggest cocaine bust was "not on a banana farm", claims union

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Colombia's biggest cocaine bust was

Colombian National Police claim to have made the country's biggest ever cocaine bust, with a weight of eight metric tons (MT) and a street value of US$240 million.

In a release, the police said the discovery was linked to the Úsuga crime gang on a banana plantation in the northern region of Turbo.

National Police director general Jorge Hernando Nieto Rojas said the operation began at 6pm Saturday, with the final capture taking place at 6am on Sunday with 50 police commandos breaking into the banana farm with the support of two Black Hawk helicopters.

The police report said that a very old kiosk was found on the plantation, where the cocaine was hidden underneath a cement block.

However, in an official statement the head of the Colombian Banana Growers' Association (AUGURA), Juan Camilo Restrepo Gómez, said the cocaine was not found on "any banana farm, much less one that would be affiliated with this union".

"For our activity it is very important to clarify this type of information. We are an export sector that should be able to have security and credibility in front of international fruit buyers. Every day we work on improving our traceability according to the international laws demanded," he said.

"We are a sector that annually generates significant foreign exchange for the country, as well as 30,000 direct and 100,000 indirect jobs. We are the engine of development for Urabá, Magdalena and La Guajira."

In March, AUGURA expressed its condolences for the family of a banana plantation security officer who was murdered by two sicarios on a motorbike.

Photo: AUGURA head Juan Camilo Restrepo Gómez

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