Major Drug Haul At Port In Odisha, Cocaine Worth Rs 220 Crore Seized

In a major drug haul, cocaine worth Rs 220 crore was seized from a ship at the Paradip port in Odisha's Jagatsinghpur district, officials said on Friday.

Twenty-two suspicious packets were spotted in a crane on the ship anchored at the Paradip International Cargo Terminal (PICT) on Thursday night, officials added.

After the crane operator found it, he informed the authorities, suspecting it to be some kind of explosive. After tests, it was confirmed to be cocaine, they said.

In a statement, the Customs Commissionerate said, they searched the ship around midnight acting on intelligence inputs and found the cocaine packets.

The Panama-registered cargo ship, named MV Debi, began its voyage from Egypt and arrived to India via the Gresik port in Indonesia. It was scheduled to depart for Denmark with steel plates from India, officials said.

"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 to Rs 220 crore," state Commissioner of Customs Madhaab Chandra Mishra told PTI.

No one has been arrested in connection with the seizures so far, but the crew members of the ship have been detained, he said.

All the crew members were from Vietnam, officials said, adding that the ship was operated by Asia Pacific Shipping Co Ltd.

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