Dutch navy intercepts 1072 kilos of cocaine in the Caribbean
May 13, 2024

Dutch navy intercepts 1072 kilos of cocaine in the Caribbean
The Dutch naval ship Zr.Ms. Groningen intercepted a total of 1,072 kilos of cocaine in the Caribbean during two separate actions on April 24 and 28. The Defense in the Caribbean reported this on Monday.

Go-fasts
The Navy made the catch together with the US Coast Guard. The actions were carried out after they were informed about so-called go-fast speedboats by an American patrol aircraft. The Dutch Navy deployed fast interceptor boats to track down the go-fasts. A total of four suspects were arrested in the two actions.

Warning shots
During the first action on April 24, a boat carrying the drugs was forced to stop with warning shots. This was not necessary for the second action. The drugs were turned over to the US Coast Guard and have since been destroyed. The suspects will be prosecuted in the United States.

Since the beginning of April 2024, HNLMS Groningen has been active in the Caribbean again. The Dutch naval ship is deployed, among other things, in international 'counter-drug operations', where it regularly collaborates with the American Coast Guard and the Caribbean Coast Guard.