It was an unusual “catch†to unload on a dock.
(Petty Officer 2nd Class Rob Simpson)
Members of the Coast Guard, Drug Enforcement Administration, State Police, and other law enforcement agencies offloaded a massive haul of more than $20 million worth of cocaine from the deck of the Coast Guard Cutter Dependable on Friday, the Coast Guard said.
The drugs were seized, and two drug smuggling suspects arrested, by the Coast Guard during an at-sea interdiction, Sept. 2, 2013, about 460 miles east of Cape Cod, authorities said.
It was not immediately known where the 49-foot vessel, Elegance, was headed when it was interdicted, but its next listed port of call was Montreal, authorities said.
Hicham Ramzi Nahra, 27, of Canada, and Benjamin Celma-Sedo, 49, of Spain, were charged in US District Court in Boston with possession of cocaine with intent to distribute on board a vessel subject to US jurisdiction.
The boat was carrying a Canadian flag, but was stateless and never registered as a Canadian vessel, authorities said. Authorities later determined that the vessel was registered as the Callisto and its last port of call was in Venezuela.
Authorities said more than 1,300 pounds of cocaine were discovered. After receiving permission from the Canadian government to board the vessel, Coast Guard crew members reported that they found 23 large, heavy plastic mesh bags each containing 55-to-60-pound packages of cocaine.
