Algerian authorities have seized half a ton of cocaine floating off the country’s coast, after fishermen in the area raised the alarm. The fishermen spotted and reported suspicious bags floating in the water near Oran, a port city, on Saturday night, according to a press release from Algeria’s Ministry of Defense Monday. Coast Guard units dispatched to the scene fished out the bags, which together contained 490 kilograms of cocaine, according to laboratory analysis conducted by the military police. The ministry press release described the failed smuggling as “an attempt to introduce a huge quantity of cocaine intended to flood our country with these poisons and drugs.” In 2013, the North African nation declared drug trafficking a top national security threat linked to militancy in the region. The country recently held parliamentary elections which were marred by low turnout and political unrest, the news agency reported.
SOURCE: CNN