ALGECIRAS, ES - It seems that the criminal underside will never tire of attempting to circumvent the law in order to make illicit money, as Spanish authorities can recently attest. 

Customs agents in the Port of Algeciras recently uncovered 171 kgs (roughly 377 pounds) of cocaine stuffed into a shipment of bananas. However, adding to the oddity of the fruit bust, was that the drugs were concealed inside plastic bananas, designed to look like an ordinary fruit shipment. 

"During a check of a consignment in Port of Algeciras on April 28th, a pallet marked with a red 'X' was discovered by agents," said a statement from Spain’s National Police, according to The Local ES.

Interceptados en el Puerto de #Algeciras 171 kg de cocaína ocultos en bananas sintéticas procedentes de #Colombia.https://t.co/JiTvmQ19fG

— Policía Nacional (@policia) May 14, 2016

Upon expecting the pallet, authorities discovered 19 boxes filled with 88 synthetic bananas, which were in turn stuffed with €17 million (about $19 million) worth of cocaine.

Police and customs agents detected the drugs after performing a long investigation into criminal gangs smuggling South American drugs into Europe. The banana-masked cocaine was imported from Turbo, Colombia, and was meant to end its journey at a fruit packing company in Huelva, Spain.

Spanish authorities said that in 2015 alone, they had seized 22 tons of cocaine, a 43 percent increase on the previous year, and stated that Spain was the main entry point for smugglers to use for access to Europe.

AndNowUKnow will continue to report as shipments of fruit and vegetables find a surprising starring role in the industry.