More than 69 pounds of cocaine bricks worth over $5 million were seized from a Florida cruise liner's cargo
Over 69 pounds of cocaine wrapped in garbage bags were discovered in a cruise ship's cargo space.
The drugs were seized by the ship's security and handed to the authorities at Port Everglades, Florida.
The haul could be worth upwards of $5 million based on the drug's street price.
Over 69 pounds of cocaine wrapped in garbage bags were discovered on a cruise ship in Florida and seized by the US Customs and Border Protection (CBP).
The ship's security team first discovered the cocaine haul in a cargo area on the cruise liner. The bricks were seized by the cruise's security officers and handed over to CBP personnel stationed at the Port Everglades seaport when the cruise ship docked there for maintenance on June 6.
According to cocaine price estimates from the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, the 69.5 pounds of cocaine found could be worth upwards of $5 million based on the drug's street price.
The CBP said it did a further sweep of the ship and did not find any other forms of contraband.
"This seizure is indicative of the excellent collaboration CBP has with our industry partners to detect and interdict illegal drugs being smuggled into our nation," said Dylan DeFrancisci, the CBP's port director of field operations for Port Everglades and Fort Lauderdale in a statement.
"Our officers strive daily to develop and enhance our partnerships with other law enforcement agencies, industry partners, and the citizens of our community to stop criminal activity at our borders, be it land, air, or sea," DeFrancisci added.
A spokesman from the CBP told Insider that the cruise ship in question is operated by Royal Caribbean Cruises. The agency did not share if any arrests were made in connection with the drug haul.
This drug haul from Florida coincides with more cruise ships being given the green light to embark on voyages from the state - with vaccines being made optional for passengers.
It is not unheard of for drug rings to use cruise ships as conduits for smuggling drugs and other contraband internationally, with crew members and passengers alike being used as mules.
The agency estimates that on an average day in 2020, it seized some 3,677 pounds of drugs along the US's borders.
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