Cocaine worth Rs 220 crore seized from ship at Paradip port in Odisha

Paradip: 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, they said.

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 added.

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 here, 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 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, he said.

A Customs team from state capital Bhubaneswar has been rushed to Paradip to assist with the investigation, he said.