Gambia: nearly 3 tons of cocaine in a shipment of salt from Ecuador

Gambian authorities on Friday announced the record seizure of 2.9 tonnes of cocaine in a cargo of salt from Ecuador by cargo ship, and they are looking for a French owner of the cargo.

The drug is estimated to be worth $ 88.5 million (72.4 million euros), according to the Gambia Anti-Drugs Agency (DLEAG).

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Officers found 118 bags of white powder labeled

in a cargo ship in the port of Banjul, DLEAG said.

The container was arriving from the Ecuadorian port of Guayaquil.

Authorities are looking for the French owner of the cargo, Banta Keita, 37, the same source said. West Africa is a major transit area for drugs from South America to Europe, according to the UN.