Two suspected smugglers were held and 587 kilograms of cocaine seized during an exercise in the Western Caribbean Sea.
According to the U.S.-led Joint Interagency Task Force – South, a high-speed pursuit began when a U.S. Southern Command Maritime Patrol Aircraft detected a suspicious 25-foot vessel speeding 53 nautical miles north of Panama’s San Blas Islands.
Suspecting an active drug run originating from Colombia, it says contact was made with partners in Panama, who launched surface interceptor boats.
The vessel was eventually stopped 35 nautical miles north of Isla Grande.
In a hidden compartment deep inside the hull, inspectors uncovered a professionally constructed hidden compartment containing 490 illicit packages.
JIATF-South says the maritime interdiction was made alongside the Colombian Navy (Armada de Colombia) and Panama’s National Aeronaval Service (Aeronaval Panamá).
In a post, the JIATF-South described the seizure as “A Massive Blow to the Clan Del Golfo Cartel”
