Algeria foils attempt to smuggle 701kg of coke

ALGIERS: The Algerian Coastguard has foiled an attempt to smuggle into the country a huge shipment of 701 kilogrammes of cocaine through the Port of Oran, about 430 kilometres west of here, the Ministry of National Defence says.

The Ministry said in a statement Wednesday that the cocaine was seized from a commercial vessel flying the flag of Liberia coming from Brazil after transiting the port of Valencia in Spain before entering Algerian territorial waters.

“As part of securing our territorial waters, the Coastguard of the Naval Forces Command, belonging to the West Maritime Front in Oran ( 2nd Military Region), foiled an attempt on May 29, 2018 to flood our country with a large quantity of drugs,” the statement said.

It added that ‘ the operation was triggered following the use of information related to the presence of a large quantity of cocaine concealed in a container aboard a vessel loaded with frozen red meat’.

“Seaborne units were immediately dispatched to secure the perimeter of the operation.” the statement said.

“Following confirmation of the presence of the container, the necessary instructions were given to moor the vessel at the port of Oran under high protection and in accordance with the strict security procedures. — Bernama