Law enforcement officials in Puerto Rico reported the largest drug bust in four years on Tuesday after officers seized $34 million worth of cocaine found in a boat off the northern coast of the Caribbean island.
Earlier Tuesday morning, officers spotted a boat off the Kamea Meha Sector in Vega Alta. Police tried to make contact with the boat, but its driver refused to pull over, prompting a chase by Department of Public Security officers.
Two people on board abandoned the boat. When police seized control of the vessel, they found another person on board and 34 bales of what later tested to be cocaine.
A total of 1,320 kilograms, or 2,910 pounds, of cocaine were seized.
“The extraordinary results of the joint work of the state and federal authorities carried out at dawn today show that the anti-crime plan strategies are paying off. With this seizure a significant quantity of drugs has been taken off the streets and makes this one of the largest occupations in recent years,” DSP Secretary Hector Pesquera said in a statement.
The seizure was also handled by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and the United Rapid Action Forces.
