Coast Guard chases smugglers, drugs thrown overboard

The Coast Guard seized almost 200 kilos of drugs after a brief chase in the Gulf of Paria on Thursday night.

Sources said members of the Coast Guard were aboard an interceptor on patrol off Icacos when the crew spotted a boat travelling towards Port of Spain at around 9.05 pm.

As the Coast Guard chased the boat, the crew saw bags being thrown overboard.

The boat eventually escaped by sailing into Venezuelan waters at around 9.36 pm.

The Coast Guard found and seized seven bags that were thrown overboard.
When they returned to their headquarters at Staubles Bay, Chaguaramas, they handed over the bags to the St James CID.

They contained 146 packets of marijuana weighing a total of 102.1 kg and 75 packets of cocaine weighing 82.7 kg.