by Lloyd's List

PANAMANIAN police found 39 packages of drugs in a container on a Maersk vessel during an operation at the port of Balboa.

The police said that the “illicit substances” originated from Morocco and were destined for New Zealand. Although they did not give any details about the vessel where the drugs were found, a video of the seizure was shared on X.

The video shows Maersk’s name emblazoned on the container in question and its number is also visible. According to Maersk’s container tracking site, the box was loaded on the 2005-built, 4,045 teu Maersk Nokwanda (IMO: 9294393) at Tanger Med, Morocco, on August 11.

The container was then loaded on the 2007-built, 3,630 teu Maersk Willemstadt (IMO: 9362401) on September 7.

The vessel was poised to leave the port on Sunday and arrive in New Zealand at the end of the month, according to Maersk. Lloyd’s List Intelligence vessel-tracking data shows that the ship has now left Balboa and is sailing near the coast of Panama.

“National police continue to collaborate closely with port authorities and international organisations to fight international drug trafficking,” Panama police said in a statement.

The most common method of drug trafficking is the “rip-off” method, where smugglers will use a container of normal cargo illegally to move the drugs through a port.