Customs officials at Vlissingen port in Zeeland have discovered 1,008 kilos of cocaine hidden in a consignment of bananas from Ecuador.

The drugs, hidden in boxes, were found by sniffer dogs on October 23 but the find has only just been made public. They were destined for a company in Heerhugowaard, north of Amsterdam, but the firms is unconnected with the smuggling attempt, customs officials said.

The drugs had a street value of €35m and no-one has yet been arrested.

The seizure came just five days after officials at Rotterdam port found 800 kilos of cocaine, also in a shipment of bananas from Ecuador. That drug was destined for Vlissingen.

The public prosecution department said in February that police and customs officials found a record 19 tonnes of cocaine hidden in shipments at Rotterdam port last year.

In total,18,947 kilos of cocaine were discovered in 109 separate deliveries. This is three times the amount of the drug found in 2017.