Coast Guard Offloads More Than 6,000 Pounds of Marijuana in Key West

The wholesale value of the marijuana was about $5.5 million.

The U.S. Coast Guard offloaded more than 6,000 pounds of marijuana in Key West Wednesday after two different busts in the Caribbean, officials said.

The crew of the Thetis first located a 30-foot vessel during a routine patrol in the Caribbean, according to a Coast Guard news release.

They saw suspected smugglers throw packages of contraband overboard and proceeded to apprehend the suspects and recover the 69 packages, officials said. The packages tested positive for marijuana, according to the Coast Guard.

In a second instance, a Coast Guard crew on a United Kingdom Royal Fleet Auxiliary vessel found a Jamaican fishing vessel throwing some packages overboard, officials said. They were apprehended and Coast Guard crews recovered the 55 packages that later tested positive for marijuana, according to officials.

In total, crews confiscated about 6,250 pounds of marijuana with a value of $5.5 million, according to the Coast Guard.

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