The container had already been unloaded in the port of Hamburg on 24 December and has been standing at a terminal ever since. It was precisely because the container had been standing all this time that Customs caught sight of the container. The inspectorate ordered an X-ray check at the end of January. Suspicious constructions became visible behind two pallets of bananas. Inspectors eventually found 2,630 kilos of cocaine.
The shipment of bananas was destined for a company in another European country. The investigation by the customs authorities on behalf of the German authorities is still ongoing. It is one of the largest drug finds in recent years.