HNLMS Holland intercepted 685 kilos of cocaine in the Caribbean Sea. The catch was on Friday, November 8, but was announced today. Already the 6th catch since the arrival of the Dutch naval ship in the Caribbean.
The Caribbean Coast Guard patrol plane spotted a suspicious boat in the Caribbean Sea in the early morning. HNLMS Holland immediately took action, headed for the suspicious vessel, and sent her fast interceptor vessels towards it.
The crew of the FRISCs, the Fleet Marine Squadron, and a U.S. maritime law enforcement team, the Coast Guard, forced the drug boat to stop. This was eventually achieved with targeted shots at the boat's engines. During the action, the three smugglers threw drug packages overboard. All packages were fished out of the sea and brought on board HNLMS Holland. A total of 685 kilos of cocaine was seized.
The suspects and the drugs have been turned over to the US Coast Guard. The smugglers will face prosecution in the United States.
Station ship
HNLMS Holland has been active in the region as a Caribbean station ship since the beginning of September. The naval ship alternately works with the American Coast Guard and the Caribbean Coast Guard during counter-drug operations.
