2.5 tons of cocaine seized in Liberia

MONROVIA, Liberia, Feb. 2 (UPI) -- Liberian authorities have seized nearly 2.5 tons of cocaine, a record seizure for the country, from a ship off the African country's coast, officials said.

Maritime officials in Monrovia said the ship, the Blue Atlantic, was intercepted this week off the Liberian coast and the large drug shipment was allegedly found inside several barrels on board, the BBC reported Saturday.

"It is huge; if this had hit the Liberian market, it would have destroyed the entire country," Monrovia Port Security head Ashford Pearl said of Thursday's record discovery.

South American drug cartels are thought to routinely travel along the African coast in their attempts to transport illegal drugs to Europe.

Pearl said the vessel's crew members were all from Uganda and the ship was intercepted in cooperation with a French military vessel.

"They arrested the vessel on high seas; it wasn't in the Liberian waters, but they towed it to Liberia because the ship was flying the flag of Liberia," Pearl said.