Feds Seize Ship Used in Record 20-Ton Cocaine Shipment

Federal officials with U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) seized the MSC Gayane on Thursday after seizing a record 20 tons of cocaine from the cargo ship in June. Officials called the seizure of the ship “complicated and unprecedented.”

Federal law enforcement officers seized what was originally reported as an estimated 16 tons of cocaine from containers on the MSC Gayane on June 17. The official weight after further searches came in at 20 tons of cocaine valued at more than $1 billion. The Gayane is a Liberian flagged cargo vessel reported to be operated by Fireside Partners, Inc., according to MarineTraffic.com. No allegations have been levied against the ship’s operators.

“This amount of cocaine could kill millions — MILLIONS — of people,” U.S. Attorney William McSwain tweeted at the time.

On July 4, CBP officials executed a warrant requested by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania and seized the Gayane.

“A seizure of a vessel this massive is complicated and unprecedented – but it is appropriate because the circumstances here are also unprecedented. We found nearly 20 tons of cocaine hidden on this ship,” U.S. Attorney McSwain said in a written statement. “When a vessel brings such an outrageous amount of deadly drugs into Philadelphia waters, my Office and our agency partners will pursue the most severe consequences possible against all involved parties in order to protect our district – and our country.”

Commenting further on the unusual action by federal officials to seize the cargo vessel, CBP’s Baltimore Director of Field Operation Casey Durst said, “The MSC Gayane is the largest vessel seized in U.S. Customs and Border Protection’s 230-year history and follows the record seizure of almost 20-tons of cocaine discovered on the vessel. Seizing a vessel of this size is an unusual enforcement action for CBP, but is indicative of the serious consequences associated with an alleged conspiracy by crewmembers and others to smuggle a record load of dangerous drugs through the United States.”

“This action serves as a reminder for all shipping lines and vessel masters of their responsibilities under U.S. and international law to implement and enforce stringent security measures to prevent smuggling attempts such as this,” Durst stated.

CBP officers and special agents from Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) detected anomalies in seven shipping containers on June 17. This led to a search of the vessel and the recovery of 39,535 pounds of cocaine. Officials estimated the street value of the drug seizure at $1.3 billion.

HSI Philadelphia Special Agent in Charge Marion Miller called the seizure of the cargo ship “another significant step toward holding accountable those who perpetuate drug smuggling crimes.”