Huge Haul Of Cocaine Found Among Bananas In German Aldi Stores

S(CNN) -- A record haul of cocaine has been discovered in crates of bananas at supermarkets in northern Germany.

The cocaine -- amounting to hundreds of kilograms -- was found on Wednesday in banana crates in six branches of the Aldi supermarket in the northern city of Rostock, and at an Aldi logistics center in Jarmen.

The drugs are believed to have originated in Latin America, Harald Nowack, spokesman for the public prosecutor's office in Rostock, said.

"The packages were temporarily secured and subsequently separated from the remaining contents (bananas)," he said.

While the total amount of drugs recovered is still be determined, Nowack told the German news organization NDR that the haul was "really unique" for the state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern in northeast Germany.

"We don't have the final quantity yet, because we simply haven't been able to evaluate it yet, because of the quantity," he said.

State police confirmed, however, that the quantity ran into the "three-figure kilogram region," and early reports indicate that the haul could be worth in the region of €25 million ($28 million).

Nowack refused to offer further details on the grounds of the investigation, but noted that police are trying to find out the origins of the drugs and their intended destination.

Aldi Nord -- the division of the supermarket chain operating in northern Germany -- confirmed to CNN that it was "affected by the incident," but also refused to offer further information due to the "ongoing investigations."

Wednesday's discovery is not the first major cocaine haul to be uncovered in the northern state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern. In 1992 and 2005, 100kg packages were recovered in cargo ships at Rostock port.

In 2018, a 109kg-cocaine haul was also discovered among pineapple shipments in a warehouse in Valluhn. And in 2018, more than a ton was discovered in Hamburg.

The-CNN-Wire
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