By NALINEE SEELAL Wednesday, January 16 2013

COCAINE with a local street value of $10.6 million was seized on Monday by Coast Guard officers with a German and Scottish national being arrested following a search and seizure operation in Chacachacare.

The suspects, aged 25 and 63, have been handed over to officers of the Organised Crime, Narcotics and Firearms Bureau (OCNFB). According to police, at about 9 pm on Monday, Coast Guard officers aboard Interceptor 030 were on patrol in the seas off Chacachacare when they observed two men in a vessel offloading packages.

Officers surrounded the vessel, detained the two foreign nationals and found what appeared to be cocaine expertly wrapped in 25 packages with a total weight of 26 kilos. The suspects were handed over to the police while the drugs were weighed and secured for court purposes.

Yesterday, investigators revealed that the two men entered the country illegally through a seaport and had been staying in the country for quite some time. Officers were up to yesterday interrogating the men to ascertain the origin of the drugs.

It is the first major drug bust for the Coast Guard for the year. Also, Coast Guard officers on Monday responded to a report from vigilant vessel owners that a small black boat dropped anchor next to Motor Vessel (M/V) FERAH at the Port-of-Spain Harbour approximately 1.5 nautical miles south of the Port-of-Spain Ferry Terminal and suspicious persons were seen boarding the sea vessel FERAH. Coast Guard Interceptor 030 responded and boarded the vessel. The owner and three young men were found gathering items. The owner of the vessel indicated to Coast Guard officers that he did not know the men, but they were apprehended and brought to Staubles Bay.

Three men ages 19 years to 21 were handed over to the Carenage police for further processing. Checks yesterday with the police revealed that the men were being questioned over the illegal possession of stolen items.