4.5 tons of cocaine found in semi-submersible during rescue search off Colombia

Colombian authorities looking for two fishermen lost at sea ended up uncovering almost five tons of cocaine in a semi-submersible sailing on the border of Ecuador on Wednesday.

The Colombian Navy said they had been conducting a search-and-rescue operation for the two men, who were last seen on a  “canoe-type boat” headed towards Tumaco, a port city in southwestern Colombia, when they intercepted the vessel.

When authorities searched the vessel, they found four people and 205 packages that tested positive for cocaine, the Colombian Navy said in a news release.

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Here’s what we know.

How much cocaine was seized by the Colombian Navy? 

The Colombian Navy said they seized around 4,071 kilograms of cocaine, which is nearly 9,000 pounds, or 4.5 tons.

The Colombian Navy did not release any additional information about the four people aboard the semi-submersible, making it unclear whether they were arrested.

“With this seizure, more than $137 million was prevented from entering drug trafficking organizations, as well as the commercialization of more than ten million doses on the streets of the world,” the Navy said in a statement.

The Navy seized the first detected cocaine batch of the year a couple weeks earlier, finding over a 1,000 pounds of cocaine in another semi-submersible.

What happens next? 

The Colombian Navy and Ecuadorian Navy said they would continue to search the area where the two fisherman were last seen, saying a search area of approximately 120 nautical miles had been established.

“The Colombian Navy will continue to carry out joint and combined operations to safeguard life at sea and counter the criminal actions of transnational criminal organizations,” the agency said.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: 4.5 tons of cocaine found in semi-submersible during rescue search off Colombia