Federal authorities seize 1,185 pounds of cocaine at Port of Philadelphia

PHILADELPHIA (FOX 29) - U.S Customs and Border Patrol agents announced Thursday that a joint operation resulted in their largest drug bust in Philadelphia in 21 years and the Port of Philadelphia's fourth largest on record.

Agents found 13 large duffel bags inside of a storage container on a shipping vessel docked at the Port of Philadelphia on Tuesday.

Officials say that the bags contained 450 bricks of cocaine, weighing over 1,180 pounds. The approximate street value of the drugs is said to be $38 million.

Authorities say that the ship originated in Guatemala and stopped in the Bahamas before docking in the U.S. It is unclear at this time which port the drugs were loaded onto the ship.

The bags, which were found by K-9 units, were placed on top of the liquid rubbed inside of the storage container, officials say.

Authorities do not believe that the cocaine was destine for Philadelphia, but was instead heading for the Netherlands.

The seizure comes about a week after CBP seized 614 pounds of marijuana at the port. The marijuana, which had estimated street value of approximately $2.5 million, was discovered inside a shipping container that arrived from Puerto Rico March 7.

"Today sends a big message to Philadelphia letting them know that law enforcement is doing our best to keep these dangerous drugs off the streets of Philadelphia, our local communities and away from our loved ones," said Area Port Director of U.S. Customs and Border Protections, Joseph Martella.