WILLEMSTAD – The Coast Guard intercepted a speedboat with 12 smugglers, 1,050 kilos of cocaine and 275 kilos of marijuana on board on Thursday. The Coast Guard fired shots to stop the boat. One of the people on the boat was injured. He had to be treated urgently in the hospital.
The fast ship was spotted on Thursday and the Coast Guard suspected it had contraband on board. The suspects did not respond to stop signals, after which several warning shots were fired from a helicopter. In the end, according to the Ministry of Defense, the engines were switched off “with a few targeted shots”.
The boat began to sink and those on board were rescued. 45 packages containing the 1,325 kilograms of drugs were also fished out of the water. The suspects have been handed over to the local police and the smuggler who was injured was rushed to hospital by helicopter.
Prime Minister Gilmar Pisas, who is also Justice Minister, paid a visit to the Coast Guard in the middle of the night and later posted photos of the many bales of drugs seized on his Facebook page. He called it a beautiful and successful action by the coast guard, which cooperated with the police and the immigration service of the island.
