CBP Stops Semi-Submersible Carrying 5.5 Tons of Cocaine

CBP Four people were arrested and more than 5.5 tons of cocaine sank after a self-propelled semi-submersible vessel was detected in the Eastern Pacific Ocean on March 2, the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) said. The authorities estimated that the cocaine was valued at some USD 194 million. During counter-narcotics operations in the area, a P-3 Long Range Tracker detected the vessel and notified relevant authorities. A U.S. Coast Guard ship was sent to the site where the task force interdicted the semi-submersible and arrested the people operating the vessel. The semi-submersible became unstable and sank, taking its cocaine cargo with it to the bottom of the ocean. During 2015, CBP Air and Marine Operations (AMO) aircrews contributed to 198 seizure, disruption, or interdiction events in the transit zone, resulting in the interdiction of 96.6 tons of cocaine.