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Ecoley

Coast Guard seizes cocaine valued at $32 million


    Miami, Aug 28 (EFEUSA).- The U.S. Coast Guard seized a shipment of 970 kilograms of cocaine valued at $32.4 million on Aug. 10 in an operation conducted in Caribbean waters, the service announced Thursday.

    The drug seizure came during an operation in which a suspicious Panamanian-flagged cargo vessel 69 meters (226 feet) long was intercepted in international waters.

    Coast Guard personnel discovered the cocaine in a hidden compartment in the ship's hold.

    "It's a big victory for us," said Clinton S. Carlson, an officer on the Coast Guard vessel that made the bust.

    Eleven people were arrested in the operation and turned over to judicial authorities.