The Coast Guard seized more than $44.5 million in cocaine in two recent operations in waters near Puerto Rico, officials said Wednesday.
The first operation happened the morning of March 15 after a 30-foot go-fast vessel was detected by a Coast Guard airplane crew. The vessel was stopped and numerous bales of cocaine weighing about 400 kilograms was found, and two suspected smugglers were detained.
The second operation happened the night of March 15 when a second go-fast vessel was spotted by the crew of a U.S. Customs and Border Protection maritime patrol aircraft in waters off Puerto Rico.
About 929 kilograms of cocaine were found on the vessel and three suspected smugglers were detained, officials said.
The drugs were offloaded in St. Croix, in the U.S. Virgin Islands, and in San Juan, Puerto Rico, and was placed in the custody of the DEA.
