Coastguard Seizes Go-Fast-Vessel in Panama
April 9th, 2009 by Russ
The Coast Guard is reporting that they have seized over a ton of cocaine from a small ship off the coast of Panama.
The “go-fast-vessel” was spotted by a Jacksonville, Florida based narine aircraft crew as part of the efforts of the Helicopter Interdiction Tactical Squadron. The HITRON squad proceeded to track the boat, shoot a bunch of holes in it, and thereby turn it into a “go-much-slower-vessel.” Upon boarding, the Coast Guard detained five suspects and snorted… err… seized 2,900 pounds of uncut cocaine.
According to the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, law enforcement organizations seized over 457 tons of cocaine in 2006. That represents an estimated 40% of all cocaine produced globally. However, the same office estimates that drug police would have to achieve a seizure rate of 75% to actually make a dent in the profit margins of cocaine cartels.
Oh well. At the very least, our Coast Guard and Border Patrol boys will be able to party like rockstars for decades to come off their suspected stockpiles. Nice work, fellas.
