April 26, 2012 6:12 PM

U.S. Customs collects 2 tons of jettisoned cocaine

(CBS News) A U.S. Customs and Border Protection P-3 jet detected two go-fast vessels carrying more than 4,840 pounds of cocaine with a combined value of more than $362 million, the agency said this week.

On April 20, a Customs P-3 jet operating in the Western Caribbean spotted two go-fast vessels 120 miles off the coast of Panama. The two 40-foot twin-engine vessels were spotted speeding north and appeared to be loaded with numerous packages when the Florida-based P-3 began tracking them, the agency said in a statement.

Local law enforcement assets were pursued the two boats, which attempted to evade authorities. One vessel abandoned the contraband before arriving on shore, while the second go-fast was seized nearby. A U.S. Navy vessel operating in the area retrieved 89 bales of cocaine from the scene.

This seizure is in addition to the $2.8 billion detected by the Customs and Border Protection P-3s operating out of Jacksonville, Fla. and Corpus Christi, Texas since October 2011, said the agency.

U.S. Customs collects 2 tons of jettisoned cocaine - CBS News