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🇩🇰 Denmark /Crime & Justice

Portuguese authorities find five tons of cocaine on Maersk ship

From Berlingske · () Danish

Translated from Danish and summarized by DistantNews. Read the original for the full story.

At a glance

Newswire Named sources Under investigation
  • Portuguese authorities seized about five tons of cocaine on the Maersk container ship Maersk Nokwanda on Aug. 2.
  • The drugs were hidden in the ship’s cavities and inside a container about 1,200 kilometers off mainland Portugal.
  • Authorities arrested three foreign nationals from India, Italy and Colombia; an Indian detainee was later found dead in custody, and the investigation continues.

Portuguese police, navy and air force boarded the Maersk container ship Maersk Nokwanda in August and discovered about five tons of cocaine hidden in the vessel’s cavities and in a container.

The Hong Kong-registered ship was located roughly 1,200 kilometers off Portugal’s mainland. Maritime Executive described the seizure as one of the largest cocaine busts in Portuguese history.

Portuguese authorities arrested three foreign nationals from India, Italy and Colombia during the operation. Only a few hours after the arrests, the Indian man was found dead in his cell, according to Maritime Executive.

Maersk confirmed the seizure to Danish broadcaster DR. The company said authorities had detained a crew member who was later found dead while in custody. Maersk said it could not provide further information because the investigation remains ongoing. Portuguese authorities also worked with British and Spanish police on the case.

We can confirm that the local authorities detained a crew member who unfortunately was later found dead while in the authorities' custody.

· MaerskThe shipping company confirmed the detention and death of a crew member to DR while declining to provide further details because of the ongoing investigation.
About this summary

Originally published by Berlingske in Danish. Translated, summarized, and contextualized automatically by DistantNews, with a note on how the source frames the story. Not individually reviewed before publishing. How this works.

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