Coast Guard Obtains 900 Pounds Of Marijuana

MIAMI (CBSMiami/AP) – The U.S. Coast Guard stopped $800,000 worth of marijuana from hitting the streets of South Florida after 900 pounds of pot was seized from the ocean Sunday morning.

The Miami Herald reported a U.S. Customs and Border Protection aircraft crew discovered a vessel off the coast of Haiti on Tuesday night. According to the Coast Guard, the crew suspected illegal activity and contacted the Coast Guard to investigate.

Coast Guard Chief Petty Officer Ryan Doss said the crew chased the go-fast boat, but weren't able to stop it.

Those aboard the go-fast boat began tossing bales of marijuana into the ocean as they escaped. The Coast Guard recovered the marijuana and it will be turned over to the Drug Enforcement Administration.

Doss explained that smuggling boats are designed to cut through the water with speed using multiple engines.

"It is always a challenge, but we definitely have the capability to stop them," Doss said. "But in this particular case it just did not work out, and we were not be able to stop them."

Officials don't know the origin of the marijuana, but confirmed the boat came from the Haitian coast.

The operation was a combination of efforts between the Coast Guard, Drug Enforcement Agency, the Bahamas Navy and the Dominican Navy.

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