A Canadian navy patrol ship carrying U.S. Coast Guard law enforcement personnel has intercepted a speedboat hauling an estimated 750 kilograms of cocaine in international waters off Colombia.
Three suspected smugglers were apprehended by the Americans aboard HMCS Harry DeWolf, one of Canada’s new arctic and offshore patrol vessels, under a longstanding agreement that allows U.S. authorities to operate aboard Canadian warships.
Rear-Admiral Josée Kurtz, commander of Canada’s Maritime Forces Atlantic, said in a statement the seizure in the Caribbean Sea highlights the “tremendous collaboration” between the two countries and their shared duty “to keep our respective domestic borders and our mutual continental environment safe and secure.”
The suspect vessel was spotted by a patrolling aircraft approximately 280 kilometres north of Cabo De La Vela, Colombia, on March 1, according to a statement from the U.S. Coast Guard.
The Canadian patrol ship was dispatched to the scene, where the vessel was searched and the cocaine was seized, the agency said.
The Department of National Defence estimates the street value of the seizure at $26.9 million.
“The success underscores the strong interoperability, co-operation, and partnership between the Royal Canadian Navy, the USCG, and other regional partners,” National Defence said in a statement.
“This joint effort among allies and partners exemplifies our shared commitment to maintain security and stability in the region and North America.”
HMCS Harry DeWolf left Halifax in January for the six-week counter-narcotics mission known as Operation Caribbe.
The Canadian military first joined the U.S.-led operation in 2006, and in 2010 the mission was expanded after both countries signed a memorandum of understanding to allow American law enforcement officials to operate aboard Canadian vessels.
The Canadian military estimates it has helped seize of more than 123 tonnes of cocaine since the operation began.
“Every kilogram of illegal narcotics seized during Operation Caribbe is a kilogram that won’t make it to the streets of Canada, the United States, or elsewhere around the world,” Kurtz said.
