290 kg of cocaine seized in Brazil en route to Turkey

Brazilian Federal Police seized 290 kg of cocaine on a cellulose-laden vessel waiting to set off for the port of Martas in the Marmaraereglisi district of the northwestern Turkish province of Tekirdag. This was the result of an operation carried out in the port of Santos together with the Navy and the Federal Tax Service to prevent international drug trafficking, VOA Turkish reported.

Narcotics detectives had called the divers because they suspected drugs were being transported in a compartment in the ship's hull, just below the water level, used to collect water on the vessel.

After the divers found the cocaine in the hard-to-reach areas of the ship, the Brazilian Federal Police seized the cocaine.

According to the Brazilian press, which described the incident as the first major drug operation this year, no people have been arrested in connection with the incident so far.

Official data shows that 17 tons of cocaine were seized in 2021 in Latin America's largest port, Santos, a major center for transporting cocaine produced in South America to Europe and Asia.