Close to 150 kilograms of cocaine have been seized from the 47,018 dwt chemical tanker José Progress, according to the Venezuelan National Guard.
The illicit cargo was found in an underwater inspection of the Panama-flagged vessel conducted on Monday.
The ship’s 20 crew members are under investigation, Venezuelan National Guard said.
Loaded with some 40,000 tons of methanol, the tanker was bound for the Port of Ghent, Belgium, where it was expected to arrive on October 20.
The ship is currently anchored off Venezuela’s Puerto La Cruz.
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