Police in Germany have seized 1.2 tonnes of cocaine with a street value of more than GBP 36 million after spotting it hidden in banana boxes.

The boxes containing the drugs were found in the storeroom of a fruit and vegetables wholesaler in Gross Kreutz, Brandenburg State.

The haul, which is the largest seized by state authorities to date, follows a 660-kilogramme (1,455-lb) seizure at the same wholesaler last summer.

The latest haul is estimated to have a street value of more than GBP 36 million in the UK.

Detectives from the Joint Narcotics Investigation Group (GER) raided the facility after an employee alerted them about suspicious-looking packages on 28th March.

After analysing the boxes’ contents, they were stunned to find sealed packages of cocaine weighing up to 17 kilogrammes (37 lb) each among the fruit.

They were wrapped with plastic foil and had reportedly arrived in Germany from South America by ship.

A spokesperson from the Brandenburg Police said in a statement obtained by Newsflash: “A first test confirmed the presence of cocaine hydrochloride.”

The spokesperson added: “As with the find last year, the bananas served as legal goods to camouflage the delivery of cocaine.”

The seizure last summer was the largest drug bust in Brandenburg at the time.

The head of the Brandenburg State Criminal Police Office, Dirk Volkland, said: “The discovery of more than a tonne of cocaine and other finds from the past in Brandenburg make it clear that our region is also affected by international drug trafficking.

“The fight against trafficking in hard drugs will therefore remain a priority in the fight against organised crime in Brandenburg.”

The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime puts the street value of a kilogramme of cocaine in the UK at approximately GBP 30,300.

The investigation is ongoing.