Italian police investigating the doomed final trip of the cruise ship Costa Concordia now believe the ship was harbouring a dark secret.
Phone and tape records obtained by police while investigating Calabrian organised crime group ‘Ndrangheta suggest members of the group hid cocaine on board, the Independent reports.
The drugs have never been found and investigators believe they were smuggled without the knowledge of senior officers or company officials.
More than 4000 people were on board the Costa Concordia when it partially capsized in January 2012.
It was sailing close to the island of Giglio when it collided with rocks, tearing a hole along its side.
Ship captain Francesco Schettino was found guilty of manslaughter for the accident, and sentenced to 16 years in prison. There is no suggestion he had any knowledge of alleged drug smuggling operations on board the ship.
