“There’s always money in the banana stand,” George Bluth
In 2000, the band Ween released the song “Bananas And Blow.” On July 16th, the prophecy was fulfilled when sniffer dogs in Ecuador found 6.23 tonnes (6.87 tons) of cocaine hidden in a banana shipment. According to police, they seized 5,630 parcels individually wrapped with tape, filled with a white powder that tested positive for cocaine.
The banana shipment was bound for Germany, and the value of the hidden blow totaled about £173 million ($224 million). So we guess now there is always money and cocaine in the banana stand.
Bananas And Blow
The prosecutor general’s office says that five people have already been arrested concerning the shipment. One of the detained is a representative of the export company responsible for the goods. The suspect was present when the inspection recovered the drugs and gave officials the names of four others allegedly involved.
Some suspects involved in the smuggling include managers of the banana plantation and the driver who took the container to the port. It is alleged that the cocaine was added directly to the boxes at the plantation.
Unfortunately, Ecuador has become a major hub for smuggling drugs produced in Peru and Colombia. In 2023, security forces seized more than 200 tonnes (220.46 tons) of drugs, most of them being a devil’s dandruff. The US and Colombia are the only two countries that seized more drugs than Ecuador last year.
We’ll keep you posted on updates about this story as it develops.
