Over 770 kilograms of cocaine seized in Italy; Serbian flag seen on packages

Italian financial police and customs officials have intercepted a significant drug shipment, seizing over 770 kilograms of cocaine at the port of Vado Ligure. The illicit substance was discovered concealed within a consignment of bananas originating from Ecuador.

The operation, a collaboration between financial police units in Savona and Genoa along with customs officials, uncovered 650 packages of the drug in a refrigerated container. Preliminary analysis confirmed the cocaine's exceptional purity. The container's contents were reportedly destined for Europe, with Vado Ligure increasingly becoming a key hub for trade routes from South America.

Notably, several packages displayed the Serbian flag, as shown in footage released by the Italian financial police. Authorities estimate that if the cocaine had reached the black market, it would have yielded approximately 250 million euros for criminal organizations.

This seizure is considered one of the most substantial anti-drug operations conducted in the port of Vado Ligure in recent years. Italian services indicated the confiscation is a result of intensified controls on trade routes connecting South America with the port, which has become an attractive, albeit illicit, nexus for criminal activities.