Sydney, Australia

Australian Federal Police (AFP) has seized over 200 kg of cocaine concealed in the hull of a cargo ship.

The Australian Border Force (ABF) used an underwater Remotely Operated Vehicle to search the vessel docked in Melbourne’s Maribyrnong Terminal on August 9.

They identified a suspicious hull attachment in the ship’s sea chest, which contains pipes used to pump seawater into and out of ballast tanks. Packages of cocaine were retrieved from inside the sea chest and seized.

The cocaine had an estimated street value of 80 million Australian dollars (about 51.54 million U.S. dollars). The police are now investigating the source of the drugs and their intended destination.