Coast Guard recovers 1 ton of cocaine after boat crew tosses drugs into sea while fleeing

The air crew of a Coast Guard HC-144 Ocean Sentry aircraft sighted a “go-fast” boat about 100 nautical miles north of Camuy, Puerto Rico, on Friday, the agency said in a news release. It was carrying “multiple bales and fuel containers,” the Coast Guard said. 

The Coast Guard Cutter Joseph Napier was diverted to interdict the vessel, whose crew “began evasive maneuvers” before throwing their cargo overboard and fleeing, the Coast Guard said.  

The crew of the Joseph Napier recovered 29 bales from the water. The packages later tested positive for cocaine, the Coast Guard said. The illicit drugs were transferred to Homeland Security agents in San Juan, Puerto Rico, and weighed a combined 2,083 pounds — worth about $13.3 million.

The abandoned boat was later found ashore near Arecibo, Puerto Rico, by U.S. Border Patrol agents. Photos show a small white boat on the beach.

No arrests have been made, the Coast Guard said. 

The Trump administration has ramped up efforts to combat drug trafficking into the United States. The Department of Defense has carried out lethal strikes on alleged drug boats, killing over 100 people in dozens of operations.