WILLEMSTAD – Last Wednesday, July 31, 2019, a Venezuelan boat with 10 people on board was intercepted by a Coast Guard Metal Shark in the territorial waters of Curaçao.

During the interception, it appeared that the boat suddenly started to sink. The 10 persons of various nationalities were taken to the Coastguard Support Center and handed over to the police. Then the boat, which was now half underwater, was dragged in by the Coast Guard cutter Jaguar and brought to the Coast Guard jetty at the Parera naval base.

The following morning, 1 August 2019, the boat was drained out with the help of divers from the Ministry of Defense and the Curaçao fire brigade. After that, the authorities performed a thorough search. This resulted in the discovery of more than 800 kilos of cocaine, which was hidden in a compartment of the boat. The drugs have since been destroyed by order of the Public Prosecution Service and those on board the boat are now considered suspects