The MSC Gayane is back underway to Rotterdam minus the nearly 20 tons of cocaine seized from the ship last month after the owner and operator posted a $50,000 bail for the release of the vessel. United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, William McSwain, wrote on Twitter that his office had secured $10 million in cash and a $40 million surety bond from … [Read more...]
U.S. Authorities Seize MSC Gayane After Record Drug Bust
U.S. Customs and Border Protection has seized the MSC Gayane following last month’s record seizure of 20 tons of cocaine hidden in containers on board the vessel at the Port of Philadelphia. The CBP said Monday that the vessel was seized July 4 after CBP agents executed a seizure warrant issued by the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania. The … [Read more...]
More Arrests in MSC Gayane Cocaine Bust
U.S. authorities have made four more arrests related to the record cocaine bust on an MSC containership at the Port of Philadelphia last week. The investigation into the more than 35,000 pounds of cocaine smuggled in shipping containers on board the MSC Gayane has now resulted in six total arrests, including the arrests of the ship's Second Mate and an AB that was previously … [Read more...]
MSC Gayane Cocaine Bust: Affidavit Details High-Seas Rendezvous’ and Crew’s Effort to Conceal Drugs
Update: More Arrests in MSC Gayane Cocaine Bust New details are coming in about the massive cocaine bust in the Port of Philadelphia earlier this week, revealing an elaborate scheme involving members of the ship’s crew who used the ship's crane to load the drugs during high-seas rendezvous's with small boats. This week’s cocaine bust on board the MSC Gayane Packer Marine … [Read more...]
MSC Gayane Cocaine Seizure is One of the Largest on Record in U.S.
June 18 (Reuters) - Federal authorities seized 16.5 tons of cocaine worth more than $1 billion from a ship in Philadelphia in one of the largest drug seizures in U.S. history, the U.S. Justice Department said on Tuesday. Federal, state and local law enforcement agents on Monday boarded the MSC Gayane, a cargo ship docked in Philadelphia's Packer Marine Terminal, and found … [Read more...]