Coast Guard, Dutch Navy Sink Drug Smuggling Vessel on High Seas
A joint operation in the Caribbean Sea between the U.S. Coast Guard and the Royal Netherlands Navy resulted in the seizure of more than $63 million worth of cocaine.
The drugs were seized after two actions against the same boat in international waters, about 24 miles off the coast of Venezuela.
Those actions ultimately resulted in a shootout and the sinking of the suspected drug smuggling vessel.
Operation Details
According to officials, a Royal Netherlands Navy ship with a U.S. Coast Guard law enforcement detachment onboard identified a suspicious vessel in international waters. After attempting to get the vessel to stop, those on board ignored the requests and instead increased speed and changed direction toward the pursuit boat.
Law enforcement on the pursuit boat opened fire in self-defense. The vessel caught fire and sank, sending three suspected smugglers overboard. The search for them was suspended, pending further developments.
There were no reported injuries among law enforcement personnel.
“The missions our Coast Guard servicemembers and allied partners do every day to deny transnational criminal organizations access to maritime smuggling routes are inherently dangerous. The decision to suspend active search efforts is not one we take lightly, and the Coast Guard is working to investigate the incident in accordance with Coast Guard policy,” said Lt. Cmdr. John W. Beal, Coast Guard District Seven public affairs officer.
Eventually, crews unloaded more than 4,800 pounds of cocaine worth over $63 million at a port in South Florida.
Recent Drug Seizures
There have been other recent drug seizures on the high seas as well.
In late May, a Coast Guard crew offloaded $468 million worth of cocaine in San Diego, after eight separate operations off the coasts of Mexico and Central and South America.
Earlier in June, about $450,000 worth of cocaine was found washed up on a beach on Alabama’s Gulf Coast.
That came after Scuba divers found roughly the same amount diving off Key West, Florida. That cocaine was turned over to U.S. Border Patrol.
Also in May, nearly $1 million in cocaine was found washed up on another beach in the Florida Keys.
Drug traffickers routinely use boats in the Caribbean to smuggle the illicit substances.