Navy scoops up 10 tons of pot dumped in Pacific

In this June 16, 2012, photo provided by the U.S. Navy, sailors from USS Princeton recover a contraband package suspected to be marijuana after it was jettisoned from a small craft spotted by Sailors on board the aircraft carrier USS Nimitz in the Pacific Ocean. / AP Photo/U.S. Navy

(AP) SAN DIEGO - The U.S. Navy says an aircraft carrier group recovered nearly 10 tons of marijuana dumped from small boats in the Pacific Ocean near California's border with Mexico.

The Navy said Tuesday that two single-engine boats — each about 25 feet long — were spotted about 15 hours apart on Saturday. People aboard the boats began dumping plastic bags, and the boats escaped before authorities arrived.

Lt. Aaron Kakiel says no one was captured. The seizures occurred in international waters about 85 miles (137 kilometers) off the Mexican coast.

Authorities recovered about four tons of marijuana from the first boat and nearly six tons from the second. The carrier USS Nimitz and cruiser USS Princeton were assisted by the U.S. Coast Guard and Mexican navy.

150 bales of marijuana found on disabled boat near So. Calif. coast
High Seas: 7,500 pounds of pot found floating off So. Calif. coast

[1pheasant1]

Don't allow that compressed, seedy, and moldy product to reach our shores.

[Smail_Buzzby]

Knowing the government they popped holes in most of them, let them fill up with water and then rounded the water-logged contents up from 6 tons to 10 tons.

And why is our military doing this? A bunch of lousy pot (it WAS Mexican) is hardly a threat to America.

[preacherbob1]

10 tons not a threat.aybe not, but one hell of a party!

[wmdmia]

The war on drugs has cost this nation over 3 trillion over the last 50 years. It is time to legalized this drug and allow the people who smoke it to go on with their lives. In a 'free' nation people should be allowed to find their own place in the world and not have some tyrannical government put them in prison for what they enjoy doing.

[AOCGUY]

Wow, someone needs a toke and a hug.

[Jhihmoac]

Somebody's gonna party!

[nohater]

Americans, U.S. citizens, are the drug cartels best customers.

[AnnieDanny]

It's amusing that the Navy carriers got involved. Not the usual kind of thing for those sailors to do, I suppose. I can imagine there are plenty of jokes about it on board. :)

[LCCLYDE]

Damn....we need that here in north Texas,to keep the peace.

[jimbo7776]

Hah! Bet me it was actually about 25 Tons and the global force for good became the global force for Doritoes!

[randomites]

"Navy scoops up 10 tons of pot dumped in Pacific"

Par-tee!!!!

[Freedom7Capsule]

The $$$ cost of a carrier and a cruiser must have been astronomical -- involved in something that should have been handled by the Coast Guard.

[AOCGUY]

Freedom, the Navy almost daily sends a carrier out from San Diego on training runs.