Try as it might, the country of Colombia will always be inextricably linked to cocaine.

They can thank Pablo Escobar for that (side note – watch Narcos, top TV), although busts like this one don’t do the country’s reputation any good.

Just how much cocaine are we talking then? Chilled, nearly eight tonnes of the Marching Powder in what is the biggest bust the country has ever seen. More from the BBC:

The drugs had been hidden on a banana plantation near the north-western coastal town of Turbo.

President Juan Manuel Santos congratulated officers on Twitter, saying: “Operation in Turbo seized the greatest amount in our history.”

Police say the drugs belonged to Clan Usuga, a criminal gang…

Clan Usuga is mainly engaged in drug trafficking but has also been accused of extortion, illegal mining, forced disappearances and murder, correspondents say.

Colombian police estimate the gang has about 2,000 active members.

Some pictures of the haul:

Makes you lot over in Milnerton (or Parklands, to be precise) seem like amateurs.

[source:bbc]

[imagesource:here]