In what authorities in Spain called the largest anti-narcotics operations in the history of the country, they seized 13 tonnes (13,000 kg) of cocaine hidden in a container that was filled with bananas.

Police said that officials found bricks containing drugs behind fruit on a ship in the port of Algeciras, southern Spain. The ship sailed out of Guayaquil in Ecuador.

Last month, the operation was conducted in collaboration with Ecuadorian Police and led to five raids and an arrest.

According to police, the Ecuadorian export firm was listed in police and customs files for “illicit trade.” The police are searching for two of the company’s managers.

The largest drug seizures recorded in Spain were 9.4 tonnes in the year 2023 and 8.7 tonnes in 2005.

Government figures show that Ecuador intercepted almost the same amount of drugs as it did in the previous three years between January and September of this year.