BRUSSELS

A significant amount of cocaine was discovered in banana shipments at multiple Danish supermarkets, public broadcaster DR reported on Friday.

According to the report, employees at 12 Coop retail stores found the drugs hidden among bunches of bananas earlier this week.

Denmark's National Unit for Special Crimes (NSK) has launched an investigation to determine how the cocaine ended up in regular supermarket deliveries. Police Inspector Henrik Andersen said the case is being taken "extremely seriously," though further details have not been disclosed.

Copenhagen University professor and criminologist Henrik Vigh told DR that using bananas for cocaine smuggling is part of a growing trend. Due to the perishable nature of fruit, containers with bananas often pass quickly through customs, making them an attractive cover for traffickers.

The report noted that similar incidents have occurred recently in Germany and Norway. Last year, 95 kilograms (209 pounds) of cocaine were found in bananas in Germany, and in December 2023, 134 kilograms were seized in Norway.

As part of the current investigation, a 37-year-old Coop employee was taken into custody on Thursday after one kilogram of cocaine was found in his car. Authorities have not confirmed whether the case is directly connected to the supermarket seizures.