US Coast Guard reports multimillion-dollar drug haul in Caribbean Sea
Published:Thursday | July 23, 2009 | 5:47 PM
The United States Coast Guard today said a multinational task force has seized about 1,600 pounds of cocaine, valued at US$55 million, from a go-fast vessel in the Caribbean Sea, according to a report on www.cananews.net.
The Coast Guard said a British Royal Navy crew, working alongside it, intercepted the vessel off the Venezuelan coast.
The crew of the frigate HMS Iron Duke spotted the boat while on patrol of the Caribbean Sea, boarded it and detained four men.
Coast Guard spokesman Lieutenant Commander Matthew Moorlag said the unidentified men are now in US custody.
Royal Navy frigate commander Andrew Stacey said the cocaine bust is a \"major blow\" to the drugs trade in the Caribbean.
\"It certainly is significant,\" he said, noting that there are large quantities of drugs leaving South America.
\"We suspected it was on the way to Europe and the UK, so it\'s a significant blow to the drug barons,\" he added.
\"It is unique for us because we\'ve only been on this mission for a week,\" Stacey continued.