A US Coast Guard crew seized more than six tons of cocaine from a semi-submersible vessel off Panama’s Pacific coast, officials have said.
Video footage showed four suspected drug smugglers sitting on top of the submersible with their hands held in the air as officers approached the vessel.
Teams had to enter the boat several times to retrieve the cocaine and other evidence, including a loaded gun left in the cockpit, Lieutenant Donnie Brzuska said.
The vessel was first spotted by a Customs and Border Protection airplane, which alerted the crew of the Coast Guard Cutter Bertholf in Alameda, California.
The cocaine seized during the capture has an estimated street value of more than $200m (£140m), Lt Brzuska said.