Sea Chase, Gunshots Lead to ‘Textbook Case’ Cocaine Bust

MIAMI — Federal agents who hauled in 2,700 pounds of cocaine, 17 defendants and five boats described the bust Tuesday as a “textbook case” of how U.S. agencies can choke off the cocaine pipeline from Colombia.

The seizure of the freighter Nerma, allegedly used as a smuggling “mother ship,” as well as three speedboats and a trawler used to haul the cocaine to land was described by agents as the largest since President Bush announced his battle plan against drug trafficking.

Videotape provided by the Coast Guard showed a chase in which the speedboats tried to evade a persistent, but slower Coast Guard craft, which fired 43 warning shots near the speedboats. A fourth speedboat escaped.

The drug organization supervising the cocaine smuggling was based in Miami and had been under investigation for several months, Drug Enforcement Administration agent Tom Cash said. More arrests were expected.

Federal agents moved in Sunday while cocaine reportedly was being unloaded from the Nerma in Bahamian waters. The cocaine was believed to have originated in Medellin, Colombia, home of the Medellin cartel of cocaine traffickers, and was loaded onto the freighter on the island of Aruba.

Cash said the bust “is indicative of the magnitude of the pipeline. This is a textbook case of what taxpayers get for their money” in drug enforcement.