Colombian Authorities Seize Over a Ton of Cocaine Found on Ship Bound for Europe

Colombian authorities have seized more than one ton of cocaine that was discovered inside a container on a ship bound for Europe, the Colombian Navy reported Friday.

The drugs were found following a joint-agency raid of the Singapore-flagged ship Cap San Tainaro in the waters off Barranquilla, Colombia shortly after the vessel departed Cartegena, Colombia bound for Antwerp, Belgium.

A total of fifteen people have been arrested in connection with the incident, the Navy said.

During the raid, authorities found 1,144 packages containing 1 kilogram of cocaine apiece, worth an estimated street value of about $66 million.

The drugs are believed to have been smuggled by Clan del Golfo, an organized crime group known for its drug trafficking activities to Europe.

The seizure is the latest involving a ship sailing from Colombia to Europe. In April, a record nine tonnes of cocaine were seized from a Singapore-flagged ship after it arrived from Colombia to the port of Algeciras in Spain.

The seizure was the largest single seizure of cocaine ever made in Spain as well as the largest in Europe where the drugs were smuggled in a shipping container.