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Sunday, July 07, 2013 | 7:55 AMMIAMI (CMC) – The United States Coast Guard says crew from the Cutter Northland and Coast Guard Station Miami Beach have offloaded over 1,000 pounds of cocaine and transferred the alleged smugglers to US Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) officials in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.On Saturday, the Coast Guard reported that the estimated street value of the drugs was US$19 million.According to Coast Guard officials, while on routine patrol on May 29, 2013, the crew of the Cutter Bertholf received a report from a US Customs and Border Protection aircraft crew of a go-fast vessel about 305 miles southwest of Cocos Island, Costa Rica.The crew of the Bertholf was diverted and eventually launched a helicopter and small boat crew.The Coast Guard said a helicopter crew located the go fast vessel and informed a small boat crew which intercepted the vessel and located a package with about 1,250 pounds of cocaine.Six suspected smugglers were detained; the security officials also sank the vessel “as a hazard to navigation.”The cocaine was later transferred to crew-members on the Cutter Northland and passed on to DEA agents at Coast Guard Base Miami Beach.The Coast Guard said it is constantly surveying the Caribbean Sea for the increased trans-shipment of illegal drugs and alleged drug traffickers.Like our Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/jamaicaobserverFollow us on Twitter https://twitter.com/JamaicaObserver
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US Coast Guard sends cocaine smugglers to Guantanamo Bay
