I can move 25 tons by hand in about 6.5 hours, or at least I could when I was younger. They could have craned it on board in a cargo net and stowed it while underway.
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When I was an agent with US Customs,we caught the small shipments by labor intensive due diligence and it was hit and miss but the big busts were generally the result of advance notice from informants. As much as possible, we would do a controlled delivery so we could bust the end consignee with his hands on the merchandise.
We would often get tips on small shipment knowing they were red herrings while big shipments were coming through at about the same time.
The smugglers are experts at the game and constantly changed their tactics based on their intelligence watching us and seeing where our efforts were concentrated.
16.5 tons is a huge shipment. I’m surprised they didn’t wait to bust the recipients. Kind of a wasted opportunity. Then again, political grandstanding can lay waste to the best plans on the part of law enforcement.
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Reading today’s press release from the U.S. Attorney for the Philadelphia District one could concur with this statement. Looked more like a stump speech for Governor than anything else.
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One of the newspaper articles said that they used a ship’s crane to help bring it aboard, using nets/slings. Looking at the pictures, it was stowed in duffle bags, so slinging it aboard wouldn’t have been too tough, if going less than 5-6 knots. They may have been going that slow if they were on a slow-steaming schedule (I don’t know their run). Going any faster and it would have been difficult for small boats to come alongside and make the delivery. Slowing down to bring the coke aboard brings in some of the engineering staff (Chief and/or 1st) and the Captain. The latest report mentioned the C/Mate. but he wasn’t charged? That will change. He would have most likely supplied the bogus seals after the containers were opened. And it’s hard to believe that the Captain didn’t know about it / hear the crane / feel the slow down (if they did) / near the noise of the small boats & crew / etc… My guess is that he’s involved or he’s one hell of a sound sleeper!!
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The captain could have been an insider from the beginning… an insider of the DEA.
Now, he would have to change nationality, name and profession.
If I’m not mistaken, this ship was a modern post panamax with the berthing area near the bow and separate from the engine space. I’ve never worked on such a ship but I think It could be possible with such an arrangement to do all of these things from the after engine house with little indication to the berthing area. Most likely there were a whole bunch of people in on the scheme, but anything is possible. I haven’t worked on too many ships where secrets can be kept.
Looking at pictures of the MSC Gayane, they do have a split house – engine being separate for the accommodation house. There would be a stores crane for the after engine house (you can see the tracks) and this would be for engine parts (pistons, cylinders, lube oil, etc.). This crane would be big, require a few people to operate, and can only be operated safely when NOT underway. Any motion (specifically rolling) may cause at the very least to have the crane to trip out. Using this crane would be very risky and in most cases, the track would have to be lowered down, extending it over the side, operating this underway is like the car Corvair – “Unsafe at any speed!”
The Suez Canal crane for Suez Canal line boats and stores crane for provisions, deck stores, paint, etc… would be by the accommodation house and in my opinion most likely the crane(s) used. These cranes would be much easier to use, can be operated by fewer crew members, and be practical for bringing aboard stores while underway (not advised, but could be done). These cranes would be near the accommodation house where the Captain & crew live, very hard to discreetly use without someone (or the entire crew!) hearing it operate.
I have a hard time believing the reports of this smuggling operation and I suspect that the public is not being told the truth.
As believable as it may sound to landlubbers, transferring tons of cargo from small boats in two separate occasions to a ship at sea is not so easy. It is the most convoluted way to go about loading contraband aboard a container ship.
Big smuggling operations have the drugs stashed inside the containers sealed prior to loading. The ship’s crew is not involved in any way. The only information they have about the contents of the boxes is what they can read on the manifest.
I find it hard to believe that these transfer could have happened without most of the crew from the captain on down not being aware that something very hinky was going on. Why would the smugglers risk exposing their operation to twenty or so non participating bystanders?
Not a word in the reports about the captain’s whereabouts. Is he being held under protective custody and spilling the beans? Not a word of this story so far passes the smell test.
One more thing: Why would the mate have cocaine powder on his arms and hands if the individual bundles were sealed and packed inside duffel bags and stowed as they were brought aboard. Sampling the product elbow deep? It’s well known that cartel policy in such a case is to end the offender’s life with extreme prejudice. Was he suicidal as well as stupid?
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Pilfering the cargo?
Still no word of seizure and forfeiture of the ship. This incident will tell us if business trumps all the anti-drug rhetoric and Miami Vice style “interdiction” activities.
I was wondering when someone was going to take advantage of the publicly available statistic that US Customs only inspects 20% (on a good day) of all containers arriving in American seaports…
Many of the ones inspected are red flagged ahead of time based on source country, itinerary, etc…but you’re right. It’s impossible to stop smuggling completely without crippling the economy so it’s a numbers game based on the most suspect shipments. Lots of stuff gets through which when you try to stop it is frustrating.
Same with airline passengers based on method of payment for the ticket, country of origin, and how quickly prior to the flight, previous travel history, etc…
The mules carrying relatively small amounts are usually cash strapped victims trying to make a quick buck unaware of the cat and mouse games the cartels are playing using them. They have guns held to their heads and their families are threatened if they try to back out. They’re often used as decoys unaware that they’re sacrificial lambs.
We had a lot of swallowers in Houston and when we learned to identify them by their body language and started busting them regularly, the cartels began routing them to other airports and tried different methods to get through Houston.
For big shipments, the weak point at airports is ground service crews and on the docks it’s longshoremen.
I’ve had the DEA visit my vessel before making a voyage to Columbia, letting me know that commercial vessels have been targeted by smugglers, offering cash for transport. The DEA wanted us to take on the contraband, if we were approached, and report back so they could set-up a sting operation back in the US, to bust the receiving party. Yes, we were approached in Santa Marta, but I did not want to put my neck out…good way to get it chopped off by a hit man.
I’m surprised that the authorities didn’t slow walk this find while putting an isotope tracker on the shipment to sting the US based parties. A port bust is fine, but there is a shipment right after that one.
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Right after the swallower string ran out, a Canadian on his way to Alberta came through with a fancy Mexican horse saddle. When questioned, he said it was a gift for his daughter. Normal enough but when we asked him what kind of horse she rode, he got flustered and couldn’t answer.
We X-rayed the saddle and it and it was stuffed with bags of cocaine. The guy didn’t even had a cover story worked out. Duh!
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Not too many years ago there was a known drug shipment coming into the airport in Port au Prince Haiti. Local drug enforcement and US DEA, who alerted the locals, were ready. While DEA and company were waiting at the airport a road not far from the airport was closed off by the police. A plane landed, cargo was off loaded and the plane took off. Road was opened. Meanwhile back at the airport…
As long as the biggest users and buyers of drugs are USA citizens this will continue. It is the free market at work ! Either legalize it, pay for treatment of addicts or keep paying billions for the military and many law enforcement outfits that make a living off it being illegal. Currently the only ones winning are the big time dope cartels and the cartels trying to catch them. Citizens are the big losers.
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Currently the only ones winning besides from the cartels are the “military and many law enforcement outfits that make a living off it being illegal.”
Who said there were any US based parties? If reports that the destination of the cargo was European ports are correct, letting the ship reach those ports would have deprived the DEA and other spook outfits the publicity and glory that gives them job security. They can’t afford to win the “war on drugs.”
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I didn’t know the containers with the coke were bound for Europe. In that case there was no reason to inspect them. I was with CBP only for a few years but we never searched containers aboard ships unless there was intel. Our focus was on the house and machinery spaces.
Containers are scanned on the dock. For CBP to search a container in transit aboard a ship headed overseas means they knew ahead of time it was coming and probably even had the seal numbers.
There’s probably some pissed off cops in Europe right now.
Now, the MSC Gayane is at anchor in the entry of the Delaware Bay, behind the ‘Lower Middle’.
I wanna know who was fitting the bill for the tug and docking pilot every time they shifted the ship at Parker from berth to berth , had to be at least 5 times
Sure looks like it won’t become government property doesn’t it?
Does that mean the captain and a few others just made the cartel hit list or did the gnomes of Zurich cross the palms of a few DC lobbyists? It’s going to be very interesting to see how this ends.
It’s kind of ironic that the drug cops will seize the home of an old widow because her kid got caught selling a couple of ounces of weed.