Boxes of oranges arrived at Savannah’s port. Police found $1.75 million of cocaine in them.
When a shipment of fresh oranges arrived at the Port of Savannah in May, federal agents discovered much more than just a natural source of Vitamin C.
The agents seized $1.75 million in cocaine from a shipping container in which 50 kilograms of cocaine lined the walls of cardboard boxes carrying the oranges, according to a release from the Department of Justice’s Southern District of Georgia.
Three Florida men now face federal charges after the seizure, including an attempt to possess cocaine with intent to distribute, conspiracy to distribute cocaine, and conspiracy to import cocaine, according to authorities.
Juan De Jesus Gutierrez, 45, Jonathan Mejia, 41, and Ricardo Sanchez Ortiz, 46, all of Kissimmee, Fla., face the charges after an investigation lead by three federal agencies and local law enforcement resulted in the drug bust on May 26.
The contraband came into Savannah from the Dominican Republic, and the DOJ says agents stripped the container of drugs before following the shipment to a warehouse where Gutierrez, Meijia, and Ortiz allegedly began unloading the boxes.
It’s not the first time contraband has been mixed in with fresh fruit at Savannah’s port.
Federal officers found $19 million in cocaine in a shipment of pineapples in 2019.
