$245 million worth of cocaine seized en route to South Florida

MIAMI — Thanks to the U.S. Coast Guard, 2 tons of cocaine worth $245 million was seized before ever hitting the streets of South Florida, or anywhere else for that matter.

The operation occurred off the coast of Honduras on Thursday when a Coast Guard force operating on U.S.S. Oak Hill discovered the shipment of 4, 400 pounds of cocaine abroad a motorboat that was stopped after suspicion of being a smuggling vessel. It had been stopped in international waters off the Gulf of Mexico on Dec. 2, according to the Miami Herald.

Authorities say cocaine traffickers are increasingly operating from Central American countries, as other routes are becoming more of a risk. According to CBS Miami, the Oak Hill was taking part in an annual deployment of U.S. ships to the Caribbean Sea and Latin American waters.