Egypt Daily News - The Ministry of Interior announced today that the security services seized a huge amount of cocaine, estimated at about half a ton, inside a container in the port of East Port Said, worth one billion and 650 million pounds. The Ministry described the operation as an “unprecedented strike” within the framework of its efforts to combat drugs and preserve national security.

In a statement today: “The Ministry of Interior is aware of the importance of continuing security vigilance and directing pre-emptive strikes against gang formations trafficking narcotic drugs, and in light of international cooperation to combat organized crime and tighten control over the country’s legal ports of entry to prevent them from being exploited by the formations to bring in and smuggle narcotic substances.”

The General Administration for Narcotics Control, in coordination with the relevant security services, detected a container containing a large shipment of narcotic substances on a ship coming from the port of a foreign country, passing through Egypt at the port of East Port Said, in preparation for its re-transportation to one of the other countries, and its documentary content included frozen fish.

It added: “In coordination with the concerned authorities, the container was seized, and the inspection resulted in the seizure of 550 kilograms of cocaine. The financial value of the seized narcotics is estimated at approximately 1.650 billion pounds. Legal measures were taken.”

This operation is a strong blow to drug smuggling and trade networks, and confirms the Egyptian state’s keenness to combat this dangerous scourge.