Dominican-U.S. operation nets 1,525Ks cocaine at sea

Santo Domingo.- The National Drug Control Agency, the Navy and the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) seized 1,525 kilos of cocaine near the coast of Saona island Tuesday, one of the biggest drug busts so far this year.

The DNCD said four people were arrested and also seized 15 tanks of gasoline. Part of the drug haul was shown at the 27 de Febrero Naval Base.

The drugs were in 60 bales seized after a pursuit conducted midnight Monday, and ended close to noon yesterday.

In a statemen, the DNCD said three speedboats were seen around 60 miles south of Saona, but fled on spotting patrol aircraft in the area.

In a separate statement, the Navy revealed that the bales were thrown into the sea from two speedboats type "Go Fast" which came to the Dominican coast from the south, whose crew fled once they spotted the operation, prompting an ensuing chase by the Coast Guards cutters Capella and Canopus and two intercept crafts. LI-167 type "ACRUX" and LI-16.

Navy Chief of Staff Edwin Dominici said the chase began at 1:30 yesterday morning and lasted several hours, around 51 nautical miles south of the Dominican coast, adding that it’s the third bust at sea in the last 15 days.