Police, CBSA seize over 16 kilos of suspected cocaine from ship near Victoria

Photo: CBSA

Nearly a dozen packages totalling almost 17 kg of cocaine were seized from a commercial vessel near Victoria last month.

The ship arrived in Canada at Constance Bank Anchorage just south of Victoria on June 2, according to a news release issued today (Aug. 11). RCMP and the Canada Border Services Agency boarded the boat that day and performed an examination.

Officers located 11 individually wrapped packages in the ship's engine room. They tested the substance and determined it was suspected cocaine, estimated at $875,000 in value. All told 16.84 kg of the powder was found.

The following day, June 3, the RCMP Vancouver Island dive team conducted a dive operation and found evidence of tampering, "suggesting that there likely had been more drugs on that ship and was retrieved underwater sometime before law enforcement's intervention," states the release.

No further narcotics were discovered. 

Police say the ship was conducting legitimate business, travelling between South America, Europe, the Caribbean and the U.S., before arriving in B.C. waters. 

The release says no arrests were made or charges laid. 

A team from the RCMP shiprider program has taken charge of the criminal investigation.