Agents from the National Police have arrested 11 people and confiscated 550 kilos of cocaine that had been hidden inside crates of bananas in the port of Algeciras (Andalusia).

Amongst the 11 people arrested is the leader of the drugs trafficking ring, the person responsible for introducing the merchandise into the Spanish market by tampering with containers that had come in from Ecuador.

According to the police, the drugs were hidden inside plastic plaques lining the inside of the cardboard crates carrying the bananas.

Because bananas are a perishable item, they are dealt with quickly by customs officers, a fact that the traffickers took full advantage of.