Paradip: Around 22 kg of banned drug- cocaine was seized last night from a cargo ship that docked at Paradip Port PICT berth two days ago.
The Ship MV DEBI that arrived in Paradip port, came from Indonesia. It was scheduled to leave for Denmark after loading steel plate from Paradip.
The crane operator found the dubious substance when he entered the chamber to load steel plates. He informed the higher officials.
The CISF, Paradip Police, Dog Squad and Customs Department officials launched a search in the ship and found the drugs.
“On an intelligence input, we searched the MV DEBI ship and found the drugs. We examined the items with the help of our drug-testing kits. The substance is found to be cocaine. We will send it for lab testing after collecting samples,” informed Madhab Chandra Mishra, Commissioner of Customs, Odisha.
The value of the seized cocaine weighing around 20 to 22 kg will be around Rs 200 to 220 cr in the international market, he said.
The ship has come from PT Pal Indonesia and is scheduled to leave for Europe, he added.
