News Column

600 Pounds of Marijuana, Hashish Found by Coast Guard

May 9, 2012

Juan Ortega

The Coast Guard has detained two smuggling suspects and recovered about 600 pounds of marijuana and hashish after stopping their 15-foot boat off the South Florida coast, the agency said Wednesday.

A crew aboard a Coast Guard Air Station Miami helicopter on Sunday saw the vessel with two people westbound off Miami's coast.

Officials suspected it was "a possible illegal act of smuggling," and sent crews from Station Miami Beach and Station Fort Lauderdale, to stop the vessel, Station Fort Lauderdale Lt. Paul Turner said in a statement.

The two people on the suspect boat, 76 bricks of marijuana and 26 bricks of hashish, which consists of cannabis-plant resin after it is dried and compressed, were turned over to authorities, the Coast Guard said.

The names of the two smuggling suspects weren't released.

Helping the Coast Guard with the case were Customs and Border Protection's Air and Marine Branch, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission and Homeland Security Investigations personnel, officials said.



Source: (c) 2012 the Sun Sentinel (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.)


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