A huge amount of cocaine was discovered in a container of raw materials belonging to giant beverage maker Coca cola.

Weighing about 370kg, the drug was intercepted in France last Friday.

The banned substance, packed in several backpacks, was found inside a container holding drums of orange juice concentrate, in Signes, a village in southern France.

According to the prosecutor of Marseilles, Xavier Tarabeux, the market value of the drugs at retail is around 50 million euros (N17 billion), French news site, Varmatin reported.

The container was shipped from Costa Rica.

Employees at the Coca-Cola plant have been ruled out of any involvement as investigators attempt to trace the origin of the drug.

“The first elements of the investigation have shown that employees are in no way involved,” Jean-Denis Malgras, the regional president of Coca-Cola, told the French news website.