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A crude oil tanker at the Port of Los Angeles doubled as a massive drug mule, carrying roughly 500 pounds of cocaine worth an estimated $6.4 million, according to federal authorities.
Inanother major blow to international drug-smuggling operations, a Coast Guard narcotics detection canine alerted agents to suspected contraband concealed on the vessel earlier this month.
Boarding teams later confirmed the discovery of approximately 500 pounds of cocaine,the Department of Homeland Securitytold The California Post — some of the packages bore “Dior” branding.
“The success of this narcotics seizure is a testament to the coordinated efforts of the DHS enterprise to dismantle the efforts of drug smugglers under our respective authorities and responsibilities,” said Captain Stacey Crecy, Sector Commander at Coast Guard Sector Los Angeles-Long Beach.
“Through stellar coordination, we effectively detained the suspect and removed the contraband from the vessel to protect the maritime transportation system and facilitate commerce as quickly as possible,” he continued.
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Following the bust, Crecy ordered the tanker held at an outer anchorage near the Port of Los Angeles as federal investigators expanded the probe.
HSI arrested one suspect, while two additional individuals were taken into custody.
The seizure is the latest in an aggressive federal campaign targeting maritime trafficking networks and so-called “ghost fleet” vessels suspected of moving embargoed oil and illegal cargo to bankroll hostile regimes and transnational criminal organizations.
Source: California Post – Breaking California News, Photos & Videos
