Rotterdam (Netherlands) - Large quantities of avocados are being imported into Europe from abroad. However, cartels are now also smuggling other illegal substances across the borders between the fruits.

According to a report by the HARC team - a consortium of customs, seaport police and the public prosecutor's office in Rotterdam - a total of 633 kilos of cocaine were found among the imported goods over the past Easter weekend.

In one delivery last Tuesday night alone, the officers found more than half a ton of the white powder. The illegal goods were packed in small bags and hidden between countless avocados. The container in question originally came from Peru and was addressed to a company in the Netherlands.

According to initial police investigations, however, this company is not involved in the illegal trade.

In another discovery, the drugs were not hidden between avocados, but in the middle of them. One of the fake fruits is said to have fallen to the ground in another company's warehouse. The unusual noise it made attracted attention. Employees checked the goods and finally discovered the fake fruit with a cocaine core.

The police were able to track down a total of 400 of these drugged avocados. In this case too, the company appears to have nothing to do with the cartel.