SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (CMC) — The United States Coast Guard, assisted by the Royal Netherlands Navy has seized 1,517 pounds of cocaine, with a street value of US$24 million, from a go-fast vessel in the Caribbean Sea.

In a statement on Wednesday, the Coast Guard said three smugglers from the Dominican Republic have been detained.

The sea-interdiction stemmed from an “international multi-agency law enforcement effort” in support of Operation Unified Resolve, Operation Caribbean Guard and the Caribbean Corridor Strike Force.

The Coast Guard reported that on June 11, the crew of a marine surveillance aircraft detected three men aboard a suspicious go-fast vessel “loitering”, about 105 nautical miles south southeast of Ponce, Puerto Rico and alerted the Royal Netherlands Navy HNLMS Holland Offshore Patrol Vessel that was also on patrol.

The suspected smugglers, on being detected, “began to flee the area at a high rate of speed and jettisoned multiple bales of suspected contraband overboard”, the US Coast Guard reported.

“With the HNLMS Holland’s boats in pursuit, the smugglers came to a full stop,” it added. The boat, it said, was boarded and the three men aboard detained.

“Our local, federal and international partnerships are making a difference to stem the flow of drugs into Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands as far as possible, and bring those responsible to justice,” said Coast Guard Captain Drew Pearson, Sector San Juan commander.

Rosa Emilia Rodríguez-Vélez, US Attorney for the District of Puerto Rico, said “these arrests and multi-kilogramme seizure are a clear indication of the success of the Caribbean Corridor Strike Force Initiative.

“We will continue maximising all of our combined resources to investigate and prosecute those who in flagrant disregard of our laws and way of life try to smuggle illegal contraband into our area of jurisdiction,” she said.

Since May 21 last year, the US Coast Guard — under Operation Unified Resolve — in partnership with regional law enforcement authorities in the Caribbean, seized more than 31,000 pounds of cocaine and 8,500 pounds of marijuana during 18 law enforcement interdictions.