Record banana bust was part of massive organised crime operation

A record breaking haul of £186m of cocaine found hidden in a consignment of bananas was part of huge organised crime operation to flood London and the south east with the drug, a court heard. Just over 2.3 tonnes was secreted in a cargo of 41 pallets of fruit in Colombia, which was intercepted when it arrived at Portsmouth harbour in February 2021. Officers replaced the cocaine with more fruit and pretended to be lorry drivers to deliver the drugs…