Boat crew tosses 115 kilos of cocaine in Pacific while fleeing navy, Colombia says
The crew of a speedboat tossed more than 100 packages of cocaine into the Pacific Ocean while fleeing the Colombian navy, authorities said Tuesday, as the leader of the country was visiting President Trump in Washington amid mounting pressure from the U.S. to curb drug trafficking. Colombia is the world's largest cocaine-producing nation.
Authorities seized 115.7 kilograms of cocaine that was being transported on a "go-fast" vessel 55 nautical miles from Colombia's Pacific coast during an operation against international drug trafficking, the country's navy said in a statement.
As authorities approached, the crew on board the speedboat fled, throwing rectangular packages containing the drugs into the sea, naval officials said. Officers proceeded to recover 116 packages from the ocean.
The haul of cocaine amounted to 289,000 doses of narcotics worth $5.6 million, the navy said. Authorities released multiple images of the operation, showing packages of the alleged cocaine floating in the sea.
The seizure was announced on the same day that Colombian President Gustavo Petro met with President Trump at the White House.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters Tuesday that the meeting hadn't yet wrapped and she couldn't provide a readout, but said Mr. Trump was in a "positive headspace" beforehand and had been looking forward to it. Petro previously told CBS News he hoped dialogue with Mr. Trump would "stop a world war."
The Trump administration has continued a military campaign against alleged drug-ferrying boats off South America in the Pacific Ocean and Caribbean Sea. Those strikes, which started in September, have killed more than 100 people.
Relations between Washington and Bogota have been strained, with the U.S. accusing the Colombian government of failing to contain a spike in cocaine production. Last October, Mr. Trump called Petro an "illegal drug leader," and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent announced sanctions on Petro and his family. The U.S. also removed Colombia from the list of allies in the war on drugs.
However, Colombia has announced several major drug busts recently.
Last month, the Colombian Navy seized over two tons of cocaine after chasing down a speedboat packed with drugs and fuel in the South Pacific Ocean. In November, the nation announced its largest cocaine bust in a decade, with 14 tons confiscated at its main Pacific port.