Cocaine Worth $1 Billion Seized on Ship From Panama
With the permission of the Panamanian government in exile, federal agents stopped a ship from Panama City and confiscated 3,359 pounds of cocaine, one of the largest seizures in U.S. history, authorities said Friday.
Adm. Paul A. Yost, Coast Guard commandant, flew here from Washington for a news conference on the seizure, which he called special because the street value of the confiscated cocaine could have reached nearly $1 billion.
The 162-foot cement carrier Barlovento was heading for Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic, from Tampico, Mexico, when it was intercepted Wednesday by two Coast Guard cutters about 180 miles southwest of Key West.
An initial search did not uncover any cocaine, but the suspicious behavior of crew members prompted the Coast Guard to seek permission from the Panamanian government in exile in Washington to escort the ship to Key West for a more thorough search, the Customs Service said in a statement.
Panama is ruled by the regime of Gen. Manuel A. Noriega, who faces indictment in the United States for drug smuggling, but the United States recognizes exiled Panamanian President Eric A. Delvalle.
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