Authorities intercept 9.7 tons of cocaine in Caribbean Sea; 15 arrested
The Dutch, Colombian, and American authorities together intercepted 9.7 tons of cocaine in eight operations in the Caribbean Sea. They arrested fifteen people of various nationalities, the Colombian authorities said.
According to the Colombian police, the drugs have a street value of 327 million dollars or around 310 million euros.
En un esfuerzo combinado entre la @ArmadaColombia, autoridades de #EstadosUnidos 🇺🇸 y de #Holanda 🇳🇱, se realizaron ocho operaciones en el Mar Caribe donde se logró incautar 9,7 toneladas de cocaína avaluadas en 327 millones de dólares.https://t.co/ckxaEPHDHb#PlanPerseo pic.twitter.com/w3HCKWwiPc
— Armada de Colombia (@ArmadaColombia) December 4, 2022
One bust involved over 5 tons of cocaine intercepted in the territorial waters of Aruba, NU.nl reports. The authorities found the drugs floating in the water. Four other operations targeted fast motorboats smuggling the drugs.
According to the Colombian authorities, 109 tons of cocaine have already been seized in the Caribbean this year.
The Dutch Royal Navy has been involved in an international collaboration against drug trafficking in the Caribbean for many years.
