Record cocaine seizure in Sicily: Ship planned to set sail for Turkey after offloading

Photo: AA/File

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Italian police have intercepted a record-breaking cocaine shipment weighing 5.3 tons, which was being transferred between ships off the southern coast of Sicily.

The estimated value of the seized shipment is 850 million Euro. Italian authorities have detained five individuals linked to the operation.

During the interception, the police halted a fishing boat and discovered hidden packages of cocaine aboard.

Among those apprehended are two Tunisian nationals, one Italian, one Albanian, and one French citizen. Renato Schifani, Sicily's Regional President, praised the operation as a significant blow to drug trafficking.

The commercial ship carrying the illegal cargo bore a Palau flag. Although the police statement did not disclose specific ports, Colonel Gianluca Angelini confirmed that the vessel's final destination was Turkey, as reported by BBC Turkish.

Cocaine smuggling to Turkey

While this particular ship had offloaded the cocaine before heading to Turkey, recent years witnessed major cocaine seizures on vessels bound for the country, including a 5-ton seizure in 2020. More recently, Peruvian authorities seized 2.3 tons of cocaine in a ship bound for Turkey in March.

Reports from various organizations, including the United Nations, highlight that Turkey has become a key transit point for cocaine trafficking to the Middle East and Eastern Europe. Additionally, the country has witnessed a notable surge in cocaine consumption. (RT/VK)