Royal Canadian Navy ships help seize 700 kg of cocaine in Caribbean

Crews aboard two Canadian warships are being credited with seizing 700 kilograms of cocaine while on patrol in the Caribbean.

The Royal Canadian Navy says HMCS Summerside was taking part in Operation Caribbe on March 7 when it intercepted a 12-metre sailboat off the coast of Nicaragua.

Members of the U.S. Coast Guard later seized 16 bales of cocaine.

Canada doesn't have the legal authority to seize vessels so that job is handed off to the U.S. Coast Guard Law Enforcement Detachment.

On March 19, the crew of HMCS Saskatoon intercepted a fishing boat that jettisoned its cargo and fled at high speed.

Ten bales of cocaine were later retrieved from the water.

For the tenth year, Canada is taking part in Operation Caribbe, a multinational effort aimed at stemming the flow of drugs, weapons and cash from the Caribbean and Central America.

HMCS Summerside and her sister ship HMCS Moncton departed Halifax last month for the two month mission.

If the U.S. Coast Guard seizes a vessel they want to board, HMCS Summerside will transport an eight member team to the vessel in question and they will conduct a full search. That search can take anywhere from a few hours to a few days.

Last year, HMCS Brandon and HMCS Whitehorse were Canada's contribution to Operation Caribbe and helped seize almost 10,000 kilograms of narcotics