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HMCS Nanaimo helps in drug swoop, intercepting 1.5 tonnes of cocaine

HMCS Nanaimo and her crew assisted in the interception of 1.5 tonnes of cocaine on the eastern Pacific Ocean last week.
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Members of Her Majesty's Canadian Ship Nanaimo seize narcotics during Operation CARIBBE on Nov. 22, 2017.

HMCS Nanaimo and her crew assisted in the interception of 1.5 tonnes of cocaine on the eastern Pacific Ocean last week.

According to the Canadian Armed Forces, HMCS Nanaimo, a coastal defence vessel operating as part of Operation CARIBBE and carrying members of the U.S. Coast Guard, intercepted a vessel about 400 kilometres north of the Galapagos Islands on Nov. 21.

The cocaine was being ferried in an 11-metre panga powered by three outboard motors and carrying neither flag nor registration.

The four people on board surrendered without incident.

The U.S. Coast Guard estimated the street value of the cocaine at $50 million US.

HMCS Nanaimo, which is based at Canadian Forces Base Esquimalt, has been operating in the Eastern Pacific as part of Operation CARIBBE since Oct. 16 and will finish in December.

The operation is a U.S.-led effort involving 14 countries to stop trafficking in illegal substances.