WILLEMSTAD - On February 2, the Dutch navy ship Zr. Ms. Groningen made a significant drug bust in the Caribbean Sea, intercepting a boat carrying nearly 3,000 kilograms of cocaine following an intense pursuit. The engine of the smuggling vessel was shot out, allowing authorities to apprehend five suspects. Both the drugs and the smugglers were handed over to the U.S. Coast Guard.
The operation began when the Caribbean Coast Guard detected a suspicious vessel on radar. The Zr. Ms. Groningen and a patrol aircraft pursued the boat, but the smugglers managed to escape overnight. “Through tactical positioning, the naval ship was able to relocate the smuggling vessel the next morning,” said the Dutch Ministry of Defense in the Caribbean.
Despite being warned and given stop signals by the intercepting boats, the smugglers continued to evade capture. It was only after an NH90 helicopter fired targeted shots that disabled the engines of the boat, allowing the interception. Upon boarding the vessel, authorities discovered 94 packages of cocaine weighing a total of 2,820 kilograms.
Since the end of January, Zr. Ms. Groningen has been stationed in the Caribbean, working in collaboration with U.S. and Caribbean Coast Guards to combat drug smuggling in the region.