Pacific naval units intercepted a Go Fast boat, a fast smuggling launch, in waters under Bahía Málaga jurisdiction in Valle del Cauca and captured the three Colombian men aboard.[1][2] The three crew members and the seized cargo were transferred to the Buenaventura Coast Guard station.[1][2] The detainees were told their rights, placed at the disposal of the competent authorities, and must answer for alleged trafficking, manufacture or possession of narcotics.[1][2]

The operation used intelligence coordinated among Colombia’s Navy, the National Police Anti-Narcotics Directorate and JIATFS, the United States Southern Command’s Joint Interagency Task Force.[1] The launch was heading toward Costa Rica and on toward Central America.[1][2] The launch carried 47 bundles intended for international drug-trafficking routes.[1] Specialized police at Buenaventura applied the PIPH, the homologated preliminary identification test, which confirmed cocaine and marijuana.[1][2] Police laboratory analysis set the load at 1,460 kilograms of cocaine hydrochloride and 407 grams of marijuana, more than 1.4 tonnes altogether.[1]

Authorities put the combined load’s illicit value at nearly 15 million dollars to transnational crime finances.[1] Authorities said the seizure prevented the circulation of 3.6 million doses of alkaloids.[1] The Pacific Naval Force said the offensive seeks to limit use of the sea as a corridor, noting traffickers use fast boats from Colombia’s coast toward Central America for onward movement.[1] The Navy said it will maintain surveillance and interdiction in that area with national and international support.[1][2]