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View Full Version : USCG, Brits Make $55 Million Cocaine Seizure



bobdina
07-23-2009, 07:56 PM
USCG, Brits Make $55 Million Cocaine Seizure
July 23, 2009
UPI

MIAMI -- A British naval ship and a Miami-based Coast Guard unit have seized an estimated $55 million worth of cocaine from a go-fast vessel, officials say.

The incident took place last Thursday off the coast of Venezuela after the Royal Navy Frigate HMS Iron Duke spotted a suspicious looking boat while on routine patrol in the Caribbean, the South Florida Sun-Sentinel reports.

Coast Guard Law Enforcement Team 406 was aboard the Iron Duke and boarded the vessel after observing packages being thrown into the water.

Four men were detained and 36 bales of cocaine that had been thrown overboard were recovered, the Coast Guard says.

The Miami Herald said go-fast vessels are small, very fast boats known for being favored by smugglers when transporting drugs. The U.S. Office of National Drug Control Policy has said they are nearly invisible to radar, the newspaper reported.