The U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) seized MSC Gayane, a container ship carrying almost 20 tons or 39,526 pounds of cocaine. The street value of the illegal drug is approximately $1.3 billion, the largest seizure in the history of the agency.
Multi-agency team of law enforcement detected the massive amount of cocaine
Last month, a multi-agency team of law enforcement led by the CBP and Homeland Security Investigations (HIS) noticed anomalies while inspecting seven shipping containers aboard MSC Gayane at the Philadelphia seaport.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania obtained a seizure warrant, which was executed by CBP, HIS and Coast Guard officers on July 4. They found thousands of bricks of white, powdery substance that tested positive for cocaine and $56,330 on the vessel. Authorities believed the money was proceeds from illegal activities.
JPMorgan Asset Management owns MSC Gayane, which measures approximately two city blocks in length. The massive vessel is operated by the Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC), which is headquartered in Geneva Switzerland.
