CRIME
Colombian Navy Seizes Nearly 1.5 Tons Of Cocaine In Caribbean In 3 Operations
The Colombian Navy
The Colombian Navy said Thursday it seized nearly 1.5 tons of cocaine from boats in the Caribbean during three separate operations, and suspects on one of the boats abandoned ship when officials closed in.
In the first operation, Colombian Coast Guard and Air Force units detected a suspicious vessel near Tintipán Island off the country’s northern coast. As authorities approached, the crew fled the scene, leaving the boat abandoned, the country’s navy said. On board, authorities found 526 packages containing cocaine.
In the second operation, a high-speed vessel was stopped near the border with Venezuela, and it was found to be carrying 736 kilograms of cocaine, divided into 22 packages. Two Dominican nationals on the boat were arrested.
In the third operation, authorities stopped a vessel that was sailing suspiciously near the border with Panama. Two crew members were arrested after 79 kilograms of cocaine were found on board.
In total, the Colombian Navy said it seized 1,342 kilograms of cocaine, or nearly 1.5 tons, worth an estimated $45 million.
The navy released aerial videos of two of the interdictions.
These seizures directly affect the criminal organizations at the service of international narcotics trafficking, their capacity for coercion against the civilian population and more than $45 million that will not enter their criminal coffers, the navy said in a statement.
TMX contributed to this article.
