Italian police have uncovered nearly two tons of cocaine floating in the Mediterranean Sea.
The cocaine, valued at more than 400 million euros, was found in 70 packages linked to a signaling device.
In a statement Monday, police said it was one of the largest seizures ever carried out in the country.
In order to offer you even more content, we are currently testing the use of artificial intelligence. An editor has researched the information for this article and created an article with the help of artificial intelligence. It was checked by the editor before publication. We welcome feedback at the end of the article.
Italian police hit a jackpot of illegal substances off the coast of Sicily over the weekend when they discovered nearly two tonnes of cocaine in the Mediterranean Sea on a routine surveillance flight.
In a Monday statement Italian financial police, the Guardia di Finanza, said officers seized more than $440 million worth of cocaine, which they found floating in open water wrapped in 70 waterproof bundles.
Police said the drugs were carefully packaged to protect the cocaine from water leakage. Authorities also found a glowing signaling device in the water that appeared to be holding the packages together using multiple webs.
One of the largest drug finds in the country’s history
Officials suspected a cargo ship dumped the drugs at sea for smugglers to pick up and take to the mainland, where the cocaine could be sold for hundreds of millions of euros. The signaling device was probably used to track the contents of the packages, police said.
Aviation and shipping authorities in the Sicilian city of Catania gave arriving officers cover to recover the drugs, and officers said they were continuing to search the nearby area for more packages.
After the drugs were brought ashore, authorities examined the contents of the packages and determined that the white powder was in fact cocaine, the Guardia di Finanza said.
External content not available
Your privacy settings prevent the loading and display of all external content (e.g. graphics or tables) and social networks (e.g. Youtube, Twitter, Facebook, Instagram etc.). To display, please activate the settings for social networks and external content in the privacy settings .
In Monday’s statement, police said it was one of the largest seizures in the country’s history.
“>External content not available
Your privacy settings prevent the loading and display of all external content (e.g. graphics or tables) and social networks (e.g. Youtube, Twitter, Facebook, Instagram etc.). To display, please activate the settings for social networks and external content in the privacy settings .