Coast Guard seizes 103 bales of marijuana from go-fast vessel

The Coast Guard confiscated millions of dollars worth of marijuana Wednesday off Fort Lauderdale. Officials said the street value of the 103 bales of marijuana is about $11 million.

“This is the largest marijuana bust done by a fast response cutter since they’ve been commissioned,” said U.S. Coast Guard Lt. J.G. Breanna Hite.

The Coast Guard said it also seized 4,100 pounds of marijuana just south of Jamaica and detained several people after a bust at sea on Christmas Eve.

“While on routine patrol south of Jamaica, we received a report from an aircraft of a go-fast vessel with suspicious contraband on deck,” Hite said.

A Coast Guard fast-response cutter was sent out to intercept the vessel.

“The contraband was easy to find. The vessel was completely full of contraband. It was all out in the open and easily accessible,” Hite said. “We had four people on deck. They were compliant and posed no issues.”

Chopper4 captured the Coast Guard vessel bringing in five people to their Miami Beach station. Four of the people were taken off the boat in handcuffs. The detainees were turned over to the U.S. Customs and Border Patrol, a Coast Guard agent said.

The Coast Guard agent also said there is a mixture of nationalities and believes there are some Jamaicans and at least one was Cuban.

This story was originally published December 31, 2014 at 6:29 PM with the headline "Coast Guard seizes 103 bales of marijuana from go-fast vessel."