Cocaine valued at $ 77 million seized in New Jersey

The drugs were found on board a container that entered the United States from Buenaventura, Colombia, last month, and has an estimated market value of $ 77 million.

The drug was discovered in Newark harbor after authorities discovered an irregularity in the pin used to close the container doors, according to Special Agent Erin Mulvey of the New York Division of the US Drug Enforcement Administration. . "It was the pin that indicated something was happening," Mulvey told CNN.

The authorities opened the shipping container to find 60 packages containing a white powdery substance that was later field-tested as positive for cocaine.

Mulvey said that a legitimate cargo of dried fruit was behind the packages and that the drugs had probably been loaded near a set of doors in order to be easily accessible to the smugglers. The ship was headed next to the Belgian city of Antwerp.

Mulvey said that it was not yet clear whether the drugs were intended to stay in the United States or continue up to Europe.

Customs and border protection officers seized the drugs and handed them over to the internal security investigators. The bust took place on February 28 and is currently under investigation by the DEA and Homeland Security Investigations. No arrests were made.

"This is a major seizure – in fact, it is the largest seizure of cocaine in New York / Newark harbor since May 1994," said Troy Miller, director of CBP's field operations in New York, in a statement. The seizure in 1994 contained about 6,000 pounds of cocaine, according to Mulvey.

The seizure involved several municipal, regional and federal agencies, including the US Coast Guard, the New York Police and the New York State Police.