Colombia, US seize nearly 2.3 tons of cocaine

BOGOTA - The Colombian navy and US authorities netted Thursday nearly 2.3 tons of cocaine in the Caribbean and captured eight drug traffickers, the Colombian military said in a statement.

A ship with 1.18 tons of cocaine and four crewmembers on board was caught at 58 nautical miles (107 km) away from the Colombian Providencia Island by the US Coast Guard, the statement said.

Another boat was seized at 140 nautical miles (259 km) away from Dominica's coastline, where another four drug dealers were arrested and 1.1 tons of cocaine confiscated, it added.

According to the statement, the seized drug is worth about $60 million.

During this week, a total of 4.21 tons of cocaine was seized by the Colombian authorities thanks to a maritime agreement signed by the United States, Panama and Colombia, the Colombian military said.