Regional News

The United States (US) Coast Guard says it has seized more than 3,800lb of cocaine, worth an estimated US$48 million, during a number of sting operations in the Caribbean Sea.

The drugs were seized during what the US Coast Guard has dubbed 'Operation Martillo' exercises across the Caribbean Sea and off the coasts of Nicaragua and Colombia starting in May.

The US Coast Guard says the Operation Martillo exercises were part of ongoing operations with Caribbean countries and other US agencies.

During the first operation on May 31, the Coast Guard said it confiscated more than 2,600lb of cocaine valued at US$32.5 million from a 35-foot boat off the east coast of Nicaragua.

The Coast Guard says, since 2011, it has intercepted more than 75,000lb of cocaine.

The multi-agency campaign has teamed up with regional law enforcement agencies, as well as with the Defense and Homeland Security departments to track down drug, weapons and cash smugglers in the coastal Caribbean region of Central America.