– Result of another successful operation in Caribbean Sea.
The United States Coast Guard has detained two suspected smugglers and seized 71 pounds of cocaine during an operation in the Caribbean Sea. The Coast Guard said that the operation on Tuesday was a multi-agency law enforcement effort in support of Operation Caribbean Guard and Coast Guard Operation Unified Resolve.
It said a marine surveillance aircraft last week detected a suspicious 20-foot go-fast vessel with two people aboard “transiting the area without the use of their navigational lights”. It also noted that the Cutter Dependable was diverted to interdict the suspect vessel and observed the suspected smugglers discarding multiple packages overboard during the pursuit.
The Coast Guard, in partnership with regional law enforcement authorities and international partners in the Caribbean, seized over 25,500 kilograms of cocaine and 8,000 pounds of marijuana. Since September 2012, multiple law enforcement at-sea interdictions under Operation Unified Resolve, have seen many vessels trafficking the illegal substances. The Coast Guard said that the drugs seized since 2012 are worth more than US$640 million.
Extracted and modified from Caribbean 360
