Explosive find: cocaine in rocket transport ship in Guiana

CAYENNE: A stash of cocaine has been found in a ship used to transport rocket elements to and from the European spaceport at Kourou in French Guiana, South America, officials announced. The surprise load was uncovered when the cargo ship, which normally carries stages of Europe’s Ariane, Soyuz and Vega rockets, was preparing to depart the Pariacabo port on August 5, destined for France, Samuel Finielz, prosecutor of French Guiana’s capital Cayenne, said late Thursday. As the cargo was being manoeuvred, a container fixed discreetly to the vessel’s hull fell into the water. “There was just under eight kilos of cocaine inside,” Finielz told AFP. A source close to the investigation described the incident as “not at all usual”, and said the cargo of merchant vessels — unlike that of cruise ships — was usually very well monitored.