The navy of El Salvador intercepted the multipurpose support vessel that was flying the Tanzanian flag but previously flagged in Zanzibar, with a shipment of 6.6 tonnes of cocaine concealed in the ballast tanks-described as El Salvador’s biggest ever drug bust.
The naval operation took place approximately 380 nautical miles (about 700 km) south west of the Pacific coast of El Salvador when members of the naval force intercepted, boarded and searched the 54 metre support vessel FMS Eagle, and discovered 330 packages which were equivalent to around 6.6 tonnes of cocaine. The drugs were valued at an estimated $165m.
The operation was the biggest in El Salvador’s history according to the president, Nayib Bukele, who said that the seizure was a record in the country’s anti-drug campaign. Naval divers had discovered the 330 packages of cocaine hidden in the ballast tanks of the support vessel and 10 crew members of various nationalities-including Colombian, Nicaraguan, Panamanian and an Ecuadorian-were arrested as a result of the operation.
According to official statements, pictures released by El Salvadorian security and military services confirm that the vessel was flying the flag of the United Republic of Tanzania at the time of the interception.
In a press briefing, the Tanzanian Government spokesman Gerson Msigwa confirmed the support vessel was registered in Zanzibar, and that it was flying the Tanzanian flag. However, Msigwa stressed that the vessel was not of Tanzanian nationality and not operating on behalf of the nation, stating that the Revolutionary Government of Zanzibar has already deregistered the vessel. Furthermore, investigation into the vessel and its ownership is already underway, as it has been ascertained that there were no Tanzanian nationals on board when the drugs were seized.
The seizure represents ongoing concern that vessels flying other countries’ flag-often referred to as “flags of convenience”-are used to traffic drugs far from their own waters.
Photographs and videos showing the drugs displayed on the deck of FMS Eagle have been distributed by El Salvador’s military and security services to illustrate the scale of the raid. Regional officials are continuing to probe the transit and destination route of the shipment and prosecution of the 10 crew members involved in transit as part of efforts to dismantle trans-Atlantic and trans-Pacific drug networks.
