Canadian warship intercepts, destroys shipment of cocaine off Central America
A Canadian warship has intercepted and destroyed approximately 800 kilograms of cocaine found aboard a boat in the eastern Pacific Ocean.
The seizure happened on March 6, less than two weeks after HMCS Yellowknife and its 40 crewmembers departed Canadian Forces Base Esquimalt, B.C., alongside HMCS Saskatoon.
The pair of coastal defence vessels are on a three-month deployment with Operation Caribbe, part of an American-led counter-narcotics mission off Central America and the Caribbean.
The Canadian Armed Forces says the drugs were discovered when a speedboat was approached and stopped by the crew of the Yellowknife and United States Coast Guard Cutter Kimball.
U.S. officials detained the crew of the small craft while a search of the vessel began.
"Through the use of destructive investigation procedures on the boat (drilling holes in the structure), 800 kilograms of cocaine was found," said National Defence spokesperson Andrée-Anne Poulin in an email.
U.S. authorities removed 150 kilograms of the contraband from the boat "before it became too unstable to remain afloat," Poulin said.
The vessel was scuttled along with its remaining cargo of 650 kilograms of cocaine.
"This was done to ensure the remaining contraband would not land on the streets of Canada or the U.S., and to ensure the vessel did not pose a hazard to navigation," the National Defence spokesperson said.
The U.S. Coast Guard declined to confirm the number of crew detained or their nationalities until the U.S. Attorney's Office had reviewed the case, a spokesperson said.
HMCS Yellowknife is currently under the command of Lt.-Cmdr. James Brun, a 17-year veteran of the Royal Canadian Navy, now on his fourth deployment with Operation Caribbe.
Brun said in a statement posted to his Twitter account after the seizure that he was "proud to have witnessed the professionalism and cohesion of our ship's company" working alongside the U.S. Coast Guard.
National Defence estimates the Canadian Forces have either seized or disrupted the trafficking of more than 112 tonnes of cocaine since the start of Operation Caribbe in 2006.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Amid concerns over 'collateral damage' Trudeau, Freeland defend capital gains tax change
Facing pushback from physicians and businesspeople over the coming increase to the capital gains inclusion rate, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his deputy Chrystia Freeland are standing by their plan to target Canada's highest earners.
Fewer medical students going into family medicine contributing to doctor shortage
As some family doctors are retiring and others are moving away from family medicine, there are fewer medical students to take their place.
Widow looking for answers after Quebec man dies in Texas Ironman competition
The widow of a Quebec man who died competing in an Ironman competition is looking for answers.
Tom Mulcair: Park littered with trash after 'pilot project' is perfect symbol of Trudeau governance
Former NDP leader Tom Mulcair says that what's happening now in a trash-littered federal park in Quebec is a perfect metaphor for how the Trudeau government runs things.
Bodies found by U.S. authorities searching for missing B.C. kayakers
United States authorities who have been searching for a pair of missing kayakers from British Columbia since the weekend have recovered two bodies in the nearby San Juan Islands of Washington state.
'It's discriminatory': Individuals refused entry to Ontario legislature for wearing keffiyeh
Individuals being barred from entering Ontario’s legislature while wearing a keffiyeh say the garment is part of their cultural identity— and the only ones making it political are the politicians banning it.
Competition bureau finds 'substantial' anti-competitive effects with proposed Bunge-Viterra merger
The proposed merger of agricultural giants Viterra and Bunge is raising competition concerns from the federal government.
Douglas DC-4 plane with 2 people on board crashes into river outside Fairbanks, Alaska
A Douglas C-54 Skymaster airplane crashed into the Tanana River near Fairbanks on Tuesday, Alaska State Troopers said.
BREAKING Mounties will not be charged in shooting death of B.C. Indigenous man
Three Mounties in British Columbia will not face charges in the killing of a 38-year-old Indigenous man on Vancouver Island in 2021.