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$1M in cocaine shipped in banana boxes to Safeway stores in Washington state

WOODINVILLE, Wash. — The Drug Enforcement Administration is investigating after cocaine was shipped to several stores in western Washington state.

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The drugs reportedly were shipped to Safeway stores over the last four days.

Twenty-two kilos of the drug were found at the bottom of banana boxes at a Safeway store in Woodinville, authorities said.

Sgt. Ryan Abbott with the King County Sheriff's Office said two produce workers were getting ready to put out bananas at the store, located in the 19000 block of NE Woodinville Duvall Road, on Sunday when the drugs were found. The authorities were called.

The drugs were valued at $550,000, Abbott said.

Twenty-three kilos of cocaine were found at a store in Bellingham on Aug. 18, police said.

There was also a shipment sent to a Federal Way Safeway, authorities said.

The DEA is tracing the shipments, and shoppers are buzzing about what appear to be badly misdirected shipments of cocaine.

One shopper told KIRO-TV: "I'm sure that somebody is in a lot of trouble with somebody. I'm sure this isn't where it was intended to go."

Bellingham police said, "This appears to be a case where someone at a shipping port either got the wrong shipment from Central America or let cocaine slip through the U.S. port for fear of getting caught."