Chiquita Banana fined $25 million for supporting "terrorists"

Another lost item today,

Banana company Chiquita Brands International said Wednesday it has agreed to a $25 million fine and admit paying a Colombian terrorist group for protection in a volatile farming region.....

In court documents filed Wednesday, federal prosecutors said the Cincinnati-based company and several unnamed high-ranking corporate officers paid about $1.7 million between 1997 and 2004 to the United Self-Defense Forces of Colombia, known as AUC for its Spanish initials.

Chiquita claims their payments were made for "protection," however the long running Columbian rumors are that the right wing AUC was created and trained by foreign mercenaries paid for by international corporations to protect their interests.

$25 million does seem a stiff fine for a company that claims to have been extorted.