[www.inewsguyana.com] – The United States Coast Guard on Saturday revealed the seizure of over 6,000 pounds of marijuana in the Caribbean Sea.
The Coast Guard said the crew of the Cutter Thetis offloaded the drugs at Coast Guard Sector Key West, Florida on Wednesday, stemming from two different Caribbean Sea interdiction.
In the first interdiction, it said the Thetis crew located a 30-foot go-fast vessel during a routine patrol. Using an over the horizon small boat, the Coast Guard said the Thetis boarding team “approached and witnessed the suspected smugglers aboard the go-fast vessel jettison packages of contraband overboard.”
The suspects were apprehended and the crew recovered 69 packages, which later tested positive for marijuana. In another interdiction, a US Coast Guard Law Enforcement Detachment (LEDET) aboard a United Kingdom Royal Fleet Auxiliary vessel, assigned to Joint Interagency Task Force South (JIATFS) detected a Jamaican fishing vessel jettisoning packages overboard.
The US Coast Guard said the Jamaican Defense Force authorized the LEDET to board the flagged vessel and apprehend the suspects, recovering 55 packages, which later tested positive for marijuana.
The total contraband weighed approximately 6,250 pounds, with a wholesale value of more than US$5.5 million. [CMC]
