France: $55.8M worth of cocaine found in cola factory

PARIS (AA) - French authorities have launched a criminal probe after employees at a Coca-Cola factory found 370 kilograms of cocaine hidden in a container, according to local media reports.

Var-Matin, a daily in the southern French city of Signes, reported Wednesday that factory employees discovered the drugs on Aug. 26 hidden in specially prepared sacks in an orange juice shipment from Costa Rica.

The haul weighed 370 kg, with a potential street value of around 50 million euros ($55.8 million).

Toulon prosecutor Xavier Tarabeux said in a statement that after the discovery they launched an investigation into the trafficking and importation of illegal drugs.

According to Radio France Internationale, this is not the first major cocaine haul made by French police.

In 2015, police in Martinique seized 2.2 tons of cocaine in a yacht off the coast.