El Salvador navy seizes record 6.3 metric tons of cocaine

MEXICO CITY – El Salvador’s navy has seized 6.3 metric tons of cocaine from a semi-submersible boat in the Pacific Ocean.

The Salvadoran anti-narcotics police division says that four Colombians and a Guatemalan were detained aboard the vessel.

Police said Monday the boat was spotted about 185 nautical miles offshore. It had been modified to sit low in the water to avoid detection.

The largest previous drug bust in El Salvador was a 5.1-ton shipment of cocaine found at warehouses in the capital of San Salvador in 1993.

The cocaine from this week’s seizure had an estimated value of $160 million.