Jun 18, 2019

$1 billion worth of cocaine seized at Philadelphia port

Ursula Perano

U.S. authorities have seized over $1 billion worth of cocaine — that's 16.5 tons — from a ship at a Philadelphia port Tuesday, according to the U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania.

Why it matters: There have been a number of recent, sizable cocaine catches along the East Coast. According to a tweet from the U.S. Attorney's office, this was "the largest drug seizure in the history of the Eastern District of Pennsylvania."

U.S. Attorney Williams McSwain, who heads the district, tweeted: "This is one of the largest drug seizures in United States history. This amount of cocaine could kill millions – MILLIONS – of people. "

State of play: A local CBS affiliate reported that agents went aboard the vessel, discovered and inspected the container in question and removed it. It has since been relocated an undisclosed federal facility.

What's next: According to authorities, the ship's crew has been arrested and issued charges. It remains unclear if more drugs were on the scene.

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