Paradeep: As many as 22 packets of cocaine worth Rs220 crore were seized from a cargo ship MV Debi anchored at Odisha’s Paradeep port late Thursday night, a source said Friday.
The cocaine packets were seized in a joint operation conducted by Paradeep Police, CISF and Customs Department.
According to the source, the cargo ship named MV Debi began its voyage from Egypt and arrived here via the Gresik port in Indonesia. It was scheduled to depart for Denmark with steel plates from Paradeep. Twenty-two suspicious packets were spotted in a crane on the ship anchored at Paradip International Cargo Terminal (PICT).
A crane operator noticed the packages and notified the authorities suspecting them to be some kind of explosive. Subsequently, officials arrived at the scene and confiscated the said packages.
At first, unable to identify the powder-like substance, the officials sent those for testing after the seizure. Later it was found that the substance was cocaine, the source informed.
“Twenty-two packets were recovered from a crane on the ship. The powder-like substance was confirmed as cocaine after examination using a special kit. The international market price of the seized material would be between Rs 200 crore and Rs 220 crore,” state Commissioner of Customs Madhaab Chandra Mishra told PTI.
No one has been arrested so far in connection with the seizures, but the crew members of the ship have been detained, Mishra informed while adding that a Customs team from Bhubaneswar has been rushed to Paradeep to assist with the investigation.
PNN & Agencies
