U.S. Customs records largest cocaine seizure in its history

Patrick Varine
Thursday, June 27, 2019 7:29 a.m. | Thursday, June 27, 2019 7:29 a.m.

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Steve Sapp/CBP Office of Public Affairs

U.S. Customs and Border Protection and Homeland Security Investigations led a multi-agency inspection of the MSC Gayane that resulted in the seizure of about 35,000 pounds of cocaine discovered in seven shipping containers June 17, 2019. The cocaine seizure is a CBP record.

Steve Sapp/CBP Office of Public Affairs

U.S. Customs & Border Protection agents seized 20 tons of cocaine from a Liberian-flagged ship in Philadelphia last week.

Last week’s cocaine seizure in Philadelphia, nearly 20 tons, is the largest in the history of U.S. Customs and Border Protection, officials announced.

“Today, I can officially report that CBP has seized a historic amount of cocaine, in fact, the largest cocaine seizure in our 230-year history, with a weight of 39,525 pounds and a street value of about $1.3 billion dollars,” Casey Durst, the agency’s director of field operations in Baltimore, said Tuesday.

The drugs were seized June 17 from the MSC Gayane, a 1,030-foot Liberian-flagged container ship.

“This is a momentous accomplishment for the CBP team here in Philadelphia – and highlights the importance of our critical homeland security mission,” Durst said.

Once all of the ship’s containers have been removed, officials will examine other spaces in the vessel.

The multi-agency team initially detected anomalies in seven shipping containers the evening of June 16 that CBP X-ray examination confirmed June 17.