Crime & Public Safety
Crime & Public Safety

$19M worth of cocaine found inside pineapple shipment at Savannah port

U.S. Customs and Border Protection found over $19 million worth of cocaine at the Savannah seaport.

Credit: Savannah Morning News

Credit: Savannah Morning News

U.S. Customs and Border Protection found over $19 million worth of cocaine at the Savannah seaport.
By
Feb 24, 2019

A shipment of fresh pineapples to Savannah contained more than just tart tropical treats, authorities said.

Over $19 million worth of cocaine was found inside 450 packages hidden among the fruit at the Savannah seaport last November, U.S. Customs and Border Protection said in a Friday news release. The packages were shipped from Cartagena, Colombia.

A field test confirmed the packages, which weighed over 1,150 pounds, contained cocaine, the release said.

Officers found 1,157 pounds of cocaine at the Savannah seaport in November.

Credit: U.S. Customs and Border Protection

icon to expand image

Credit: U.S. Customs and Border Protection

In 2016, more than $6 million worth of cocaine was seized at the same port inside a container of frozen pineapples, AJC.com previously reported. The shipment, which was from Costa Rica, included nearly 350 pounds of cocaine.

RELATED: Feds find $6M in cocaine in pineapple container at Savannah port

On Tuesday, about $40,000 worth of cocaine was found inside Honduran decorative figures at Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport by the CBP.

MORE: Cocaine hidden inside Honduran figurines seized at Atlanta airport

Nearly 3 pounds of cocaine hidden inside decorative figurines from Honduras was seized in the Atlanta airport on Tuesday evening.

Credit: U.S. Customs and Border Protection

icon to expand image

Credit: U.S. Customs and Border Protection

The agency said it seizes more than 5,000 pounds of drugs on a typical day from ports of entry throughout the U.S.

Both the Colombian and Honduran incidents remain under investigation.

In other news:

Kelly, whose legal name is Robert Kelly, turned himself in to a Chicago police precinct Friday night.

About the Author

Zachary Hansen, a Georgia native, covers economic development and commercial real estate for the AJC. He's been with the newspaper since 2018 and enjoys diving into complex stories that affect people's lives.

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