HMCS Saskatoon and the U.S. Coast Guard seized 660 kilograms of cocaine on March 12 in international waters in the eastern Pacific ocean off the coast of Central America.
HMCS Saskatoon, which is based at CFB Esquimalt, intercepted a suspicious vessel, which was spotted by a maritime patrol aircraft on routine patrol in the eastern Pacific. The warship sent a rigid-hulled inflatable boat along with a U.S. Coast Guard law enforcement detachment team to stop the vessel.
The panga-style vessel was boarded and three suspected smugglers were arrested. Several bales of cocaine were recovered from both the panga and the ocean after the suspected smugglers attempted to jettison their cargo.
HMCS Saskatoon is patrolling the eastern Pacific as part of Operation CARIBBE, in which the Canadian Armed Forces works alongside the U.S. forces to improve regional security and deter criminal activity.
