US customs officials have taken the unusual step of seizing a huge Mediterranean Shipping Co (MSC) containership at the centre of a $1.3bn drugs bust last month.
Officials found nearly 20 tons of cocaine in seven boxes on the 9,962-teu MSC Gayane (built 2018) at the Port of Philadelphia on 17 June.
On 4 July, Customs & Border Protection (CBP) officials executed a search warrant that led to the vessel's seizure under the direction of the US District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, US media reported.
