If a shipping container could talk, it would have more stories than could last a lifetime. These hardy boxes of steel circle the globe many times over. They deliver raw materials and parts to factories. They bring goods from other continents to your local store. Then, they go back and do it all over again. 

There are certain unavoidable problems during a journey lasting thousands of miles. However, with the help of an experienced team, you will never fall far off track. With fast, real-time data tracking through SiShips, you can rest easy that your cargo is where it needs to be. And, in the unlikely and sometimes unbelievable event something does go wrong, we can help you find the best solution immediately.

Yes. Drug cartels transport illegal goods across the ocean on container ships.

During a recent expose on the Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC), journalists Lauren Etter and Michael Riley outlined the issue:

“Although there are international security requirements for shipping companies, customs and law enforcement officials have little power to hold the companies accountable. All of that has allowed the shipping industry, the primary engine of globalization, to escape major consequences as it has become increasingly entangled in drug trafficking.”

Over several decades, the Balkan Cartel had allegedly systematically infiltrated MSC. They had so many of their members employed by the shipping giant that they could run multiple crews simultaneously. The crews would work together to load literal tons of drugs onto the ship while at sea and then later off load it closer to their destination. In 2019, agents raided the Gayane, one of MSC’s ships, when it was at port in Philadelphia. This resulted in one of the largest drug seizures ever and raised eyebrows that MSC was perhaps complicit in the drug trafficking. 

MSC pushed back on the reporting by Bloomberg Businessweek in a press release. They emphasized all of the information had been publicly available for three years. MSC reiterated that they were unaware of the drug trafficking through their ships and they were victims, too.

Stories like this are fascinating to read and discuss, but the consequences for legal businesses and everyday people shipping overseas can be blown out of the water. Simply because your legal freight is on the same ship as drugs or another illegal substance does not mean it can be impounded by authorities. Nor does it affect the condition your freight arrives in. In fact, only rarely does a raid by a federal agency delay the delivery of the non-contraband items onboard.