Cocaine Found Hidden in Sea Chest Strainers of Ship Off Singapore
Police Coast Guard recovered more than 28kg from a foreign-registered vessel in transit
More than 28kg of cocaine was found on board a foreign-registered vessel transiting through Singapore's waters, in a concealment that used part of the ship's seawater intake system.
Officers from the Police Coast Guard were alerted on 21 August to suspicious packages on the vessel. Acting on the information, they boarded and searched it, discovering two packages believed to contain controlled drugs hidden in sea chest strainers, the components that filter debris from seawater drawn into the vessel.
The Central Narcotics Bureau took over the case and later established that the two packages contained more than 28kg of cocaine.
Early investigations showed the drugs were not meant for the Singapore market. The bureau said it was unable to comment further on the vessel's country of registration while investigations continue.
The concealment method is significant for operators. Sea chests and their strainers sit below the waterline and are accessible to divers, which allows narcotics to be attached to a ship without the knowledge or involvement of the crew and without any interference with cargo, holds or accommodation spaces. Vessels have been used as unwitting carriers in this way on routes out of South America for years.
For shipowners the exposure is legal as well as reputational. Detentions during investigation tie up the vessel, and crew members can face prolonged questioning in jurisdictions with severe penalties even where no link to the concealment is established.
Under Singapore's Misuse of Drugs Act, importing or exporting more than 30g of cocaine carries the mandatory death penalty.
