Coast Guard in Miami Beach offloads coke haul valued at $93 mil

A three-ton cocaine shipment in “happy face” wrapping paper and valued at roughly $93 million dollars was display Thursday after two ships were intercepted at separate times at sea as part of Operation Hammer, according to the U. S. Coast Guard.

A dozen persons were arrested and 2,800 kilos of drugs in were confiscated in the two-part operation - one in Caribbean waters near Colombia and the other near Panama, according to the Coast Guard.

The first stop occurred Aug. 23 when a plane spotted a speed boat in the gulf of Urabá, near Colombia. Crew members were tossing packages of cocaine in the sea.

“We sent a patrol boat to stop it in international waters,” said Lt. Mario Gil, of the Coast Guard’s District 7, at a Thursday press conference.

The speed boat were ordered to halt, but continued on. Authorities fired several rounds, destroying the boat’s motor. Authorities were able to salvage 32 packages, later tested to be cocaine.

Four people were arrested and more than 1,400 kilos of cocaine were seized, Gil said. The speed boat was destroyed.

The second incident occurred on Aug. 28 in Panamanian waters. During another routine flight, authorities identified a suspicious vessel flying a Panamanian flag.

The patrol boat Legare stopped the 165-foot cargo ship named Hope II. This time 1,493 kilos of cocaine were confiscated and eight persons arrested.

“In this case, we were granted permission by the Panamanian government to stop and search the ship,” Gil said. “There wasn’t any resistance from the people aboard the cargo ship when we ordered them to stop.”

The Hope II was towed, Gil said. The case still is being investigated.

The drugs from the two stops were unloaded and placed on display Thursday for show-and-tell at the coast guard Miami Beach headquarters. Dozens of authorities from law enforcement organizations gathered for the off-loading.