Billion dollar cocaine haul among the biggest in US history

Some 16.5 tons (15,000kg) of cocaine has been found on a ship in one of the biggest drugs seizures in US history.

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تاریخ: ۲۹ خرداد ۱۳۹۸ - ۰۸:۲۲

The cocaine - estimated to be worth more than $1bn (£790m) - was found on the MSC Gayane in Philadelphia's Packer Marine Terminal.

The drugs were found hidden in seven shipping containers on board, an official told ABC News.

Ivan Durasevic and Fonofaavae Tiasage, both crew members on the ship, have been charged with conspiracy to possess cocaine aboard a ship subject to US jurisdiction.

The pair helped load the drugs onto the container ship while it was at sea, according to an affidavit.

Fourteen boats approached the ship during its most recent journey and the crew members are accused of helping to move the drugs from those boats.

The owner of the MSC Gayane, which had been travelling from Chile to Europe when it stopped in Philadelphia, said it "takes this matter very seriously".

In a statement, MSC Mediterranean Shipping Co, said: "Unfortunately, shipping and logistics companies are from time to time affected by trafficking problems.

"MSC has a longstanding 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.

"MSC is committed to working with authorities and industry groups worldwide to improve the security of the international supply chain and ensure that illegal practices are dealt with promptly and thoroughly by the relevant authorities."

Most of the world's cocaine is consumed in the US and the US State Department warned in 2017 of "troubling signs" that the drug's use and availability were "on the rise for the first time in nearly a decade".

More recently, traffickers have been trying to open a new market for the drug by mixing it with fentanyl.

Fentanyl is among the synthetic opioids responsible for thousands of deaths a year in the US and the country's president Donald Trump has described the opioid crisis a "national public health emergency".