Boat crew tosses 115 kilos of cocaine in Pacific while fleeing Colombian navy

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The unit of a speedboat tossed much than 100 packages of cocaine into the Pacific Ocean portion fleeing the Colombian navy, authorities said Tuesday, arsenic the person of the state was visiting President Trump successful Washington amid mounting unit from the U.S. to curb cause trafficking. Colombia is the world's largest cocaine-producing nation.

Authorities seized 115.7 kilograms of cocaine that was being transported connected a "go-fast" vas 55 nautical miles from Colombia's Pacific seashore during an cognition against planetary cause trafficking, the country's navy said successful a statement.

As authorities approached, the unit connected committee the speedboat fled, throwing rectangular packages containing the drugs into the sea, naval officials said. Officers proceeded to retrieve 116 packages from the ocean.

The haul of cocaine amounted to 289,000 doses of narcotics worthy $5.6 million, the navy said. Authorities released aggregate images of the operation, showing packages of the alleged cocaine floating successful the sea.

The seizure was announced connected the aforesaid time that Colombian President Gustavo Petro met with President Trump astatine the White House.

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters Tuesday that the gathering hadn't yet wrapped and she couldn't supply a readout, but said Mr. Trump was successful a "positive headspace" beforehand and had been looking guardant to it. Petro antecedently told CBS News he hoped dialog with Mr. Trump would "stop a satellite war."

The Trump medication has continued a military campaign against alleged drug-ferrying boats disconnected South America successful the Pacific Ocean and Caribbean Sea. Those strikes, which started successful September, person killed much than 100 people.

Relations betwixt Washington and Bogota person been strained, with the U.S. accusing the Colombian authorities of failing to incorporate a spike successful cocaine production. Last October, Mr. Trump called Petro an "illegal cause leader," and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent announced sanctions connected Petro and his family. The U.S. besides removed Colombia from the list of allies in the warfare connected drugs.

However, Colombia has announced respective large cause busts recently.

Last month, the Colombian Navy seized implicit two tons of cocaine aft chasing down a speedboat packed with drugs and substance successful the South Pacific Ocean. In November, the federation announced its largest cocaine bust in a decade, with 14 tons confiscated astatine its main Pacific port.

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