The U.S. Attorney’s Office Eastern District of Pennsylvania released the below information:
PHILADELPHIA – United
States Attorney William M. McSwain announced today that, on July 4, 2019, U.S.
Customs and Border Protection (CBP) executed a seizure warrant obtained by the
U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, and seized the
cargo vessel MSC Gayane as being subject to possible forfeiture to the
United States.
On June 17, 2019,
federal, state, and local law enforcement agents boarded the MSC Gayane
when it arrived at Packer Marine Terminal in Philadelphia and seized 19.76 tons
of cocaine. Since that time, crew members of the MSC Gayane have
been charged with knowingly and intentionally conspiring with each other and
others to possess more than five kilograms of cocaine on board a vessel subject
to the jurisdiction of the United States. The federal criminal
investigation is ongoing.
As a result of this
seizure, the MSC Gayane – a ship built in 2018 and measuring
approximately two city blocks in length – has been placed under the custody of
CBP and shall remain so until further proceedings or Order of the Court.
“A seizure of a vessel
this massive is complicated and unprecedented – but it is appropriate because
the circumstances here are also unprecedented. We found nearly 20 tons of
cocaine hidden on this ship,” said U.S. Attorney McSwain. “When a vessel brings
such an outrageous amount of deadly drugs into Philadelphia waters, my Office
and our agency partners will pursue the most severe consequences possible
against all involved parties in order to protect our district – and our
country.”
“The MSC Gayane
is the largest vessel seized in U.S. Customs and Border Protection’s 230-year
history and follows the record seizure of almost 20-tons of cocaine discovered
on the vessel,” said Casey Durst, CBP’s Director of Field Operations in
Baltimore. “Seizing a vessel of this size is an unusual enforcement action
for CBP, but is indicative of the serious consequences associated with an
alleged conspiracy by crewmembers and others to smuggle a record load of
dangerous drugs through the United States. This action serves as a
reminder for all shipping lines and vessel masters of their responsibilities
under U.S. and international law to implement and enforce stringent security
measures to prevent smuggling attempts such as this.”
“The seizure of
the MSC Gayane is another significant step toward holding
accountable those who perpetuate drug smuggling crimes both here in
Philadelphia and around the world,” said Marlon Miller, Special Agent in Charge
of HSI Philadelphia. “HSI, in collaboration with CBP, the Coast Guard, and our
state and local law enforcement partners continue to aggressively work with the
U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania to
comprehensively investigate this case and bring to justice those who had roles
in this drug smuggling venture.”
The case is being investigated by the United States Customs and
Border Protection and Homeland Security Investigations, together with a
multi-agency team of federal, state, and local partners.
