Coast Guard hauls 2300 pounds of seized cocaine into Miami

The U.S. Coast Guard said it waylaid an alleged smuggling boat off Puerto Rico last week, seizing more than a ton of cocaine. Helicopters and the cutters Legare and Robert Yered intercepted the "go-fast" boat on July 15 and arrested four suspects who had pitched bales of cocaine overboard during a high-seas pursuit, the Coast Guard said Saturday. The 2,300 pounds of cocaine had an estimated street value of $35 million. It was unloaded by the Yered's crew Saturday in Miami, the Coast Guard said in a written statement. The accused smugglers were spotted by a patrol plane near the Mona Straits. The two cutters and helicopters from the Miami air station moved in and fired shots that disabled the speedy craft. The Yered, the newest of the Coast Guard's Sentinel-class cutters, was able to dog the go-fast boat despite darkness. "The crew does novel work, demonstrating an ability to keep up pursuits at nighttime," said skipper Lt. Paul Stepler. "They do it safely, in the dark and at high speeds."