On 4 April, the Dutch Caribbean Coast Guard intercepted a stash of 91 kilos of drugs near Curaçao. Earlier, on 20 March, 500 kilograms of cocaine had been found on a so-called go-fast boat in the international waters of the Caribbean Sea. These seizures were made during an operation led by the Royal Netherlands Navy and were only revealed today, after the investigations had been completed.
The 91 kilos of contraband was found on a fishing boat inside the territorial waters of Curaçao. The 3-man crew was arrested. Interception of the drugs was made possible through close cooperation between the coast guard cutter ‘Jaguar’ and the Dutch Caribbean Coast Guard’s maritime patrol aircraft Dash 8.
Fighting Crime
The action took place as part of the international Operation Martillo, carried out by the Joint Interagency Task Force South. The operation involves a large number of nations working together to counter organised crime in Central America and the Caribbean. Task Group 4.4 is one of the organisations taking part in the operation. The group combats and disrupts drug transports and weapon and people smuggling in the open sea.
[mappress] Naval Today Staff , April 13, 2012; Image: defensie