Washington State officials opened an investigation after more than $ 1 million worth of cocaine concealed in boxes of bananas was found in three Safeway stores.
Smuggling was reported for the first time on Sunday at a Safeway in Woodinville, about 20 km northeast of Seattle, the King County Sheriff's Office said.
Employees opened a box of bananas and found 22 kilos of cocaine - the equivalent of more than $ 550,000, according to investigators.
Later in the day, Safeway employees in Bellingham - in northwestern Washington, near the Canadian border - discovered about 23 kilos of cocaine when unloading banana cargoes.
An additional amount of cocaine was purchased in banana shipments at a Federal Way Safeway, but the total amount was unclear.
The Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) was managing the investigation, he added.
