Over $19M worth of cocaine found in pineapple shipment

SAVANNAH, Ga. (FOX 5 Atlanta) - What was supposed to look like a shipment of pineapples turned out to be something a lot more illegal.

Officials with the U.S. Customs and Border Protection at the Savannah seaport seized more than a thousand pounds of cocaine hidden in a commercial shipment of fresh pineapple last November.

According to officials, the shipment originated in Cartagena, Colombia. A physical inspection of the shipment led officers to discover 450 packages of what was later found to be cocaine.

In total, the illegal drug shipment hidden in the produce weighed 1,157 pounds.

"This was an outstanding interception of narcotics by our CBP officers, "said Savannah CBP Area Port Director Lisa Beth Brown. "This seizure is a positive enforcement action against drug smuggling organizations and highlights the important work our officers do each day to stop illegal activity at our borders and ports of entry."

Officers estimated the street value of the drugs was more than $19 million.

The seizure is still under investigation.