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 localCBS 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.
