The Colombian Navy, in conjunction with the Colombian Aerospace Force, seized a shipment of more than four tons of cocaine as it was being transported aboard a go-fast boat approximately 106 nautical miles (196 kilometers) northwest of Cartagena, Bolívar department.
This result was possible thanks to the continuous control and surveillance efforts carried out by the Colombian Navy, along the maritime communication lines of the region, as well as in its maritime, coastal, and island spaces. On this occasion, they detected a motor vessel sailing suspiciously and at high speed, apparently with the criminal intention of reaching the coasts of Central America with a shipment of narcotics.
A joint maritime interdiction operation was immediately launched, involving a Coastal Patrol Boat, an Oceanic Patrol Boat, two Rapid Reaction Units (URR) of the Coast Guard, two Colombian Navy aircraft, and a Colombian Aerospace Force aircraft. The operation continued for several hours in pursuit of the suspicious motor vessel until it was intercepted.
Once the interdiction procedure was completed, the immobilized boat was inspected, revealing 161 packages containing 4,010 rectangular packages similar to those used by criminal organizations for trafficking alkaloids. Five individuals were on board: four Colombians and one Honduran, all of whom were caught in flagrante delicto.
The immobilized vessel, the captured individuals, and the seized material were transported to a secure location on the Colombian Caribbean coast, where officers from the Technical Investigation Corps of the Attorney General’s Office performed the Approved Preliminary Identification Test (PIPH), which yielded a positive result for 4,015 kilograms of cocaine hydrochloride. This haul would cost approximately $192 million on the international black market, and from which approximately 10 million doses could be extracted. Once the urgent actions were completed, the material, the boat, and the individuals were handed over to the competent authorities.
The Colombian Navy reaffirms its commitment to the frontal fight against drug trafficking and related crimes. It also invites maritime users to promptly report any suspicious activity that jeopardizes the security of the region’s maritime communication lines to the competent authorities. This is aimed at denying the maritime, coastal, and island spaces of the Greater Caribbean to criminal organizations whose criminal activities endanger the safety of the population.