Cocaine stash worth £11m delivered to Aldi
Police say smugglers made a 'logistical error' in the second accidental drug delivery to the budget supermarket
Large shipments of cocaine have been discovered in crates of bananas in Aldi supermarkets across Berlin, for the second time this year.
The drugs were found in several stores and weighed a total of 300kg, local newspaper Berliner Morgenpost reports. With an estimated street value of £11m, it's the single largest shipment of cocaine ever to be discovered in the city.
Unwitting employees discovered the narcotics while unpacking crates of fruit in stores in Berlin and Brandenburg. The drugs were said to have a very high degree of purity.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Police believe the smugglers made a "logistical error" en route from Colombia. "The wrong container was probably used when the merchandise was put on board the ship," police spokesperson Stefan Redlich told the RBB radio station.
"Or possibly, there wasn't enough time for the smugglers to unload it when it arrived in Hamburg," he speculated.
Drug cartels have been known to use food shipments to smuggle large amounts of narcotics from South and Central America to Europe. Last year, £1.1m worth of cocaine was found in a coffee shipment in Berlin.
This isn't the first time Aldi has received an unwanted delivery with its bananas. In January, 140kg of cocaine was discovered in boxes shipped from Colombia to Berlin.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
Turner Prize 2025: ‘artistic excellence’ or ‘cultural nonsense’?Talking Point Work by the four artists nominated for this year’s award is on display at Bradford’s Cartwright Hall
-
Man vs Baby: Rowan Atkinson stars in an accidental adoption comedyTalking Point Sequel to Man vs Bee is ‘nauseatingly schmaltzy’
-
Goodbye June: Kate Winslet’s directorial debut feels like a ‘John Lewis Christmas TV ad’Talking Point Helen Mirren stars as the terminally ill English matriarch in this sentimental festive heartwarmer
-
How Bulgaria’s government fell amid mass protestsThe Explainer The country’s prime minister resigned as part of the fallout
-
Femicide: Italy’s newest crimeThe Explainer Landmark law to criminalise murder of a woman as an ‘act of hatred’ or ‘subjugation’ but critics say Italy is still deeply patriarchal
-
Brazil’s Bolsonaro behind bars after appeals run outSpeed Read He will serve 27 years in prison
-
Americans traveling abroad face renewed criticism in the Trump eraThe Explainer Some of Trump’s behavior has Americans being questioned
-
Nigeria confused by Trump invasion threatSpeed Read Trump has claimed the country is persecuting Christians
-
Sanae Takaichi: Japan’s Iron Lady set to be the country’s first woman prime ministerIn the Spotlight Takaichi is a member of Japan’s conservative, nationalist Liberal Democratic Party
-
Russia is ‘helping China’ prepare for an invasion of TaiwanIn the Spotlight Russia is reportedly allowing China access to military training
-
Interpol arrests hundreds in Africa-wide sextortion crackdownIN THE SPOTLIGHT A series of stings disrupts major cybercrime operations as law enforcement estimates millions in losses from schemes designed to prey on lonely users