Cocaine has been discovered in 12 supermarkets across two police districts in Denmark, prompting an ongoing investigation by the National Unit for Special Crime (NSK). The drug was found in connection with a case involving narcotics concealed within banana boxes.

The discoveries were made in stores belonging to the Coop chain on Monday and Tuesday, with the company fully cooperating with the police in their investigation. The affected stores are located within the North Zealand Police and Mid and West Zealand Police districts, including a Kvickly store in Kalundborg.

While the NSK announced the case on Wednesday, initially stating that a “large amount” of cocaine was involved, the unit has declined to specify the exact quantity of drugs found, citing considerations for the ongoing investigation. However, they confirmed that a collaboration has been established with Europol, the European police cooperation agency.

An employee of Coop was taken into custody on Wednesday as a result of the case. A kilo of cocaine was found in the trunk of the man’s car in Højby in Odsherred. The court hearing was held behind closed doors, and it is currently unclear whether the find in his car is related to the larger supermarket case.

Cocaine being smuggled from South America to Europe in banana shipments is not a new trend. In the past, 95 kilos of cocaine were discovered in a box of bananas in a German discount supermarket last year, and in December 2023, 134 kilos of narcotics were found in a banana shipment to Norway.