Colombian navy in huge Caribbean cocaine haul
- Published
US agents say there is a new generation of "cocaine cowboys" willing to take higher risks at sea
The Colombian navy has seized 1,450 kg (3,200 lb) of cocaine from a speedboat in the Caribbean, following a tip off by US anti-drugs agents.
Colombian officials say the boat had left the northern town of Manaure and was heading towards the Dominican Republic.
It was intercepted in international waters
Four Venezuelans and a Colombian have been detained and are being held in custody in Tampa, Florida.
They are expected to be charged with drug trafficking, Colombian police said.
The drugs allegedly belonged to Los Urabenos, which operates in northern Colombia.
Los Urabenos is one of the groups the Colombian government calls Bacrim, short for bandas criminales (criminal gangs).
Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos has made the fight against the Bacrim one of his government's priorities.
Speedboats are used by gangs trying to avoid surveillance as they transport illegal drugs produced in South America to Central America, Mexico and the United States.
In two joint operations last month, agents from the US, Colombia, Panama and the Dominican Republican seized 2,500 kg of cocaine in the region.
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