Expand / Collapse search
Watch TV
Menu

This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. ©2024 FOX News Network, LLC. All rights reserved. Quotes displayed in real-time or delayed by at least 15 minutes. Market data provided by Factset. Powered and implemented by FactSet Digital Solutions. Legal Statement. Mutual Fund and ETF data provided by Refinitiv Lipper.

Crime

Suspected drug smugglers clung to floating bales of cocaine for hours in shark-infested waters: cops

By Travis Fedschun Fox News
Published
close
Fox News Flash top headlines for Oct. 2 Video

Fox News Flash top headlines for Oct. 2

Fox News Flash top headlines for Oct. 1 are here. Check out what's clicking on Foxnews.com

When their boat sank off the coast of Colombia on Sunday, three suspected drug smugglers survived out in the open waters by clinging to the only thing that was floating: their product.

The Colombian Navy said in a news release the trio was found adrift on high seas about 30 nautical miles off the town of Tumaco, floating on sacks of different sizes that were similar to those used by drug traffickers.

"The Coast Guard arrived and these three people were floating on a material that by its characteristics resembled drugs," Capt. Jorge Maldonado of Colombia's Task Force Against Drug Trafficking told Agence France-Presse.

TRUMP'S DRUG CZAR SAYS US URGING CHINA TO CRACK DOWN ON FENTANYL, OTHER DANGEROUS DRUGS

The men were rescued along with the sacks and brought to shore, where it was revealed the packages tested positive for 1.2 tons of cocaine hydrochloride.

Three suspected drug smugglers floated for hours after their boat sank. The trio used cocaine bails as flotation devices, according to authorities.

Three suspected drug smugglers floated for hours after their boat sank. The trio used cocaine bails as flotation devices, according to authorities. (Armada De Colombia)

Maldonado told AFP the men were on a boat that was hit by a wave and capsized.

The trio had been out in the shark-infested waters of the Pacific Ocean for at least three hours before they were spotted by the Tumaco Coast Guard Unit patrolling the area. By the time they were eventually picked up, the men had been in the water for about seven hours, according to Maldonado.

NEW JERSEY TEACHER LOSES JOB, ACCUSED OF SNORTING MORPHINE IN FRONT OF STUDENTS

Authorities said the men had 1.2 tons of cocaine.

Authorities said the men had 1.2 tons of cocaine. (Armada De Colombia)

Officials released a photo of the three men surrounded by dozens of bricks.

CLICK HERE FOR THE ALL-NEW FOXBUSINESS.COM

All three, who were reported to be in good condition, have been charged by Colombian prosecutors with drug trafficking and manufacturing narcotics.

A search is continuing for a fourth man who was reported to be on the boat when it capsized, according to the Navy.

CLICK HERE FOR THE FOX NEWS APP

Tumaco is one of the main ports for drugs exiting Colombia bound for Central America and the U.S., according to AFP.