993 kilograms of cocaine confiscated during at-sea interdiction by federal authorities

4 people arrested by federal authorities from South Florida

MIAMI – Federal authorities from South Florida seized 993 kilograms of cocaine last week and arrested four people during an at-sea interdiction.

Authorities said 37 bales of cocaine were found April 7 on a boat about 95 nautical miles south of Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic.

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According to authorities, the four people aboard the boat are members of a drug-trafficking organization that is responsible for importing cocaine to the U.S. through Venezuela and the Dominican Republic.

"We focus our investigative and enforcement efforts to interdict these narcotic smuggling ventures long before they reach our shores," Robert C. Hutchinson, acting special agent in charge of HSI Miami, said Thursday in a statement. "We work very closely with our many law enforcement partners to achieve results, like last week's seizure and arrests."

Authorities did not disclose the name of the drug-trafficking organization with which the suspects are believed to be involved.

The drug bust was made by the South Florida High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA) task force, which consists of agents from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's Homeland Security Investigations Miami office and the agency's attaché office in the Dominican Republic, as well as the Drug Enforcement Administration, the U.S. Coast Guard, U.S. Customs and Border Protection and the Florida Highway Patrol.


About the Author:

Amanda Batchelor is the Digital Executive Producer for Local10.com.