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Coast Guard Crews Seize $5 Million In Marijuana

KEY WEST (CBSMiami) – Quite a haul for a two Coast Guard crews after they intercepted a pair of boats with a combined total of more than $5 million in marijuana on board.

In the first interdiction, the crew of the Coast Guard cutter Thetis crew spotted a 30-foot go-fast vessel during a routine patrol of the Caribbean Sea. When the cutter approached, the Coast Guard said the men onboard started dumping bales of marijuana overboard. A boarding team took the men into custody and recovered 69 packages.

In the second interdiction, a U.S. Coast Guard law enforcement team aboard a United Kingdom Royal Fleet Auxiliary vessel, spotted a Jamaican fishing vessel jettisoning packages overboard as they approached. The crew of the fishing boat was taken into custody 55 packages were recovered which later tested positive for marijuana.

The total contraband was approximately 6,250 pounds with a wholesale value of more than $5.5 million.

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