According to media reports, the vessel’s captain spotted suspicious packages near the rudder and contacted security authorities.
Coast guard divers retrieved the packages which were fastened to the rudder well area with rope. The drugs weighed some 200 kilograms with an estimated worth of $17.7 million (TT$120 million).
At the time, the vessel was docked at the Atlantic LNG port where vessels dock to collect LNG before leaving for their destinations.
It is yet unknown if the cocaine was placed on the LNG carrier during its stay at the port or if it entered Trinidad and Tobago already carrying the shipment.
It is worth noting that the Hispania Spirit left Trinidad and Tobago following an investigation on April 8. According to latest AIS data it is off the coast of Spain and will arrive at its destination on Tuesday, April 16.
This was not the first time that a hidden cocaine stash was found on the Hispania Spirit. On September 8, 2015, Coast Guard officials found 211 kilograms of cocaine in a compartment during the vessel’s stay in Peru. Authorities also detained a Venezuelan national who was a stowaway on the vessel.