On Tuesday, Philadelphia officials seized over $1 billion worth of cocaine at Packer Avenue Marine Terminal in South Philly, marking the largest drug seizure in the history of the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, according to officials.
“A U.S. Customs and Border Protection and Immigration and Customs Enforcement Homeland Security Investigations-led multi-agency inspection of shipping containers aboard the MSC Gayane resulted in a substantial cocaine seizure in Philadelphia on June 17, 2019,” the U.S. Customs and Border Protection said in a statement. “Authorities continue to process the seized cocaine and continue its inspection aboard the vessel in the Port of Philadelphia. Authorities have made two arrests, and will release a final tally and additional details when this operation concludes.”
Officials located about 16.5 tons of coke inside eight containers after the cargo ship returned from the Bahamas, Panama, Peru and Chile, according to CBS. In fact, according to ABC, the ship was on its way to Europe with a stop in Rotterdam but its final destination remains unclear.
Members of the ship’s crew were arrested and charged in the incident, forcing the Mediterranean Shipping Company to release a statement. In the statement, the company acknowledged its ship’s involvement in the bust, but also announced its cooperation with the federal law enforcement agencies.
“Mediterranean Shipping Company is aware of reports of an incident at the Port of Philadelphia in which U.S. authorities made a seizure of illicit cargo,” the company said. “MSC takes this matter very seriously and is grateful to the authorities for identifying any suspected abuse of its services. Unfortunately, shipping and logistics companies are from time to time affected by trafficking problems. MSC has a long-standing history of cooperating with U.S. federal law enforcement agencies to help disrupt illegal narcotics trafficking and works closely with U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP).”
In a separate statement, Mayor Jim Kennedy thanked officials for their hard work.
“Every ounce of drugs we keep off the streets is helping to keep Philadelphians safe and alive. Mayor Kenney is thankful for the hard work of the Philadelphia Police Department, FBI, ICE, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, and the U.S. Coast Guard,” the mayor’s office said in a statement.
