A Portsmouth-based Coast Guard cutter unloaded 3,300+ kilos of cocaine – worth $110 million in wholesale value – in Miami on Tuesday after two recent busts in Southwestern Caribbean waters.
The first bust happened March 15th near Jamaica. Canadian ship HMCS Glace Bay suspected a smuggling operation out of a fishing vessel. When officials boarded the ship, it caught fire. The six people on board were rescued. On their way to Jamaica, 97 bales of cocaine were found floating in the water.
The second bust happened when the USCGC Legare spotted a vessel in the waters between Colombia and Honduras. Officers disabled the engine and found 900 kilos of cocaine floating in the water.
Five Colombian nationals were on board and taken back to Colombia for prosecution.
The drugs will now be handed over to federal officials.
