A general cargoship has been intercepted in the Caribbean with 1,000 kg of cocaine on board.
The Colombian navy said that it had worked with Dutch authorities to raid the 2,600-dwt Aressa (built 1978) in international waters after it left Venezuela.
The vessel has been taken to anchorage off the Dutch Caribbean island of Aruba. An inspection there revealed the size of the haul, which is potentially worth $500m.
The navy said the operation was part of its continuing offensive against drug trafficking, which is an ongoing problem in the region.
Photos from the navy show commandos boarding the vessel from a small patrol boat.
Colombian media reported that the vessel was heading from Punta Guaranao to Thessaloniki in Greece.
Class withdrawn
The ship is listed as operated by Ingria Shipping of St Petersburg, which has been contacted for further information.
Aressa's class certification was withdrawn by Dromon Bureau of Shipping in February last year for unspecified reasons.
Before that its class had been withdrawn by the Russian Maritime Register of Shipping in September 2018 for an overdue survey.
The ship was re-flagged to Cameroon from an unknown register last February.
It was detained in Denmark last September for 21 days with 33 deficiencies including insanitary conditions, a dirty engine room and non-payment of wages.
Earlier this month the crew of a reefer vessel was arrested by Danish police for their part in a bid to smuggle 100 kg of cocaine worth $50m into the country.
Copenhagen police said in a statement that the drugs were seized during an “internationally coordinated” raid on Saturday on the 628,000-cbf Duncan Island (built 1993).
