The customs department has seized about 22kg of cocaine, worth Rs 220 crore, from a ship in Odisha’s Paradip port.
The chief commissioner, GST, Central Excise and Customs, Bhubaneswar Zone in a press release said: “Based on intelligence that few suspected packets, likely to be Narcotics drugs are concealed in a Panama registered Ship, namely, MV Debi berthed at Paradip International Cargo Terminal, Paradip, that had arrived from Gresik port, Indonesia in ballast, the Customs officers of the Bhubaneswar Customs (preventive) Commissionerate searched the ship on midnight of 30.11.2023 and on 1.12.2023.”
It said: “During the search, a total of 22 packets (wrapped and affixed with magnet) were recovered from the cranes of the ship containing a hardened but brittle white substance suspected to be narcotic drugs. Initial testing by the Special Intelligence and Investigation team of the Bhubaneswar Customs (Preventive) Commissionerate revealed that the substance is possibly cocaine, a narcotic drug under the NDPS Act 1985.”
“All the crew members working onboard the ship are from Vietnam. The ship is registered in Panama and is operated by the Asia Pacific Shipping Co. Ltd. The ship is having its last port of call from Gresik Port, Indonesia,” the release said.
