AUCKLAND, NEW ZEALAND - In New Zealand, police and customs officers found more than 190 kilograms (approximately 418 pounds) of cocaine in a container of bananas. According to local news source The New Zealand Herald, this was the largest drug bust in New Zealand history and one that the New Zealand Customs and police have been working on since August. The joint investigation concluded last week after a man was arrested in Sydney.

The tale of the ill-fated banana container began on August 20, when five duffel bags full of cocaine were found in a container that arrived in Auckland, New Zealand. Police inspected the container and the duffel bags, finding 190 blocks of cocaine wrapped in packaging tape. The source of the drugs, the news source reported, was pinpointed to a potential shipment of illegal substances that left Balboa, Panama, on August 4.

Detective Inspector Paul Newman told reporters that “this operation has once again shown our dedication to disrupting organized crime and reducing the devastating harm that drugs cause in our community.”

The cocaine had an approximate street value of US $19-24 million, which to me, is a bananas amount of money.

For the latest in how crime around our beloved produce is being thwarted, keep reading us here at AndNowUKnow.