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Turkish authorities, acting on intelligence, seized around 350 kg of cocaine at Mersin Port. The seizure was made aboard the bulker CSPC Pisces, with the drugs hidden by a complex concealment method below the vessel's waterline.
Vessel CSPC PISCES, image credit: COSCO SHIPPING LINES
Turkish authorities stated that they had received intelligence indicating a shipment of cocaine would be arriving from South America at Mersin Port. Police and prosecutors then focused on vessels arriving from the region and eventually found the cocaine aboard the CSPC Pisces. The vessel had sailed from Brazil and made a port call at Tarragona before arriving at Mersin Port on 11 September.
The drugs were found in the sea chest of the vessel, part of the seawater intake system used for cooling the ship's machinery. Authorities described 12 packages secured to the hull of the vessel underwater in waterproof packaging.
The 12 packages, containing around 350 kg of cocaine, are estimated by authorities to be worth around $31 million. Nine suspects have been arrested in connection with the ongoing investigation.
The trafficking method appears to involve divers attaching sealed packages inside the sea chest or other hull structures at the departure port. The ship then sails to its destination, where a separate team using diving equipment retrieves the packages. The ship's crew may not be aware of the hidden packages.
The CSPC Pisces is a Liberian-flagged bulk carrier. The vessel has a length of 225 metres, a beam of 36 metres, and a gross tonnage of 54,832.
