A major drug bust reported today by the U.S. Attorney’s Office in the Eastern District of Pennsylvania as over 16 tons of cocaine have been seized off a large ship at the Packer Marine Terminal in Philadelphia.

The ship was headed from Chile to Europe when it stopped in Philadelphia. Drug dogs marked the ship, and the cocaine was discovered inside eight containers from a cargo ship. The ship made stops in Peru and the Bahamas before it made port in the US. Where the cocaine was picked up, or where it was intended to go, is yet unclear.

U.S. Attorney William McSwain tweeted this statement: “This is one of the largest drug seizures in United States history. This amount of cocaine could kill millions – MILLIONS – of people. My Office is committed to keeping our borders secure and streets safe from deadly narcotics.”

Note: According to official CDC statistics, only a little over 100,000 people have died from overdoses related to cocaine between 1999-2017.

Members of the ship’s crew have reportedly been arrested and federally charged.