MIAMI, (CMC) – The United States Coast Guard says it seized nearly 2,800 kilograms of cocaine during two successful drug interdictions in the Caribbean region.
It said that the drugs, with a street value of US$93 million, have been offloaded at the Coast Guard Base in Miami on Thursday.
The Coast Guard said in the first operation, four suspected smugglers were taken into custody, and 32 bales of contraband, which later tested positive for cocaine, were retrieved from the water.
During the second interdiction, the Coast Guard said a US Customs and Border Protection marine patrol aircraft crew spotted a suspicious vessel off the coast of Panama on August 28.
It said the crew of the Legare boarded the 165-foot Panamanian-flagged coastal freighter Hope II, and seized 1,493 kilograms cocaine.
The Coast Guard said the eight crew members aboard the Hope II and the vessel were taken into custody.
