Endangered Sea Turtle Found Trapped Between Bales Of Cocaine

The U.S. Coast Guard saved an endangered female sea turtle in November that was floating in the ocean surrounded by 1,800 pounds of deserted cocaine. The cocaine was said to be valued at over $53 million.

The Coast Guard's cutter ship, named Thetis, was stationed in the eastern Pacific on a 68-day mission for the Pacific Tactical Law Enforcement Team when a crew took a small boat Nov. 19 to investigate the debris-filled spot in the ocean, according to the Miami Herald. The debris field was first spotted by a military plane.

During the Coast Guard's search, the crew noticed a sea turtle caught in the midst of multiple drugs packages string together, which they later identified as cocaine.

"They probably felt the heat coming and got rid of it," Thetis Commander Jose Diaz told WNBC of the suspected smugglers. "There were some marks on her neck, so she may have been there a day or two."

Video footage of the incident shows guard workers as their small boat inches closer to approach the bales of cocaine and the sea turtle that's trapped between it all. The crew began to untangle the reptilian animal, which had the lines that strung the drugs together wrapped around its neck and fins. The men managed to cut the line carefully to free the sea turtle.

Ensign Mark Krebs and his crew quickly took notice of the entangled sea turtle, which they claimed had "significant chaffing," according to the Coast Guard.

The workers proceeded to seize the bales of cocaine after releasing the turtle.

The cutter ship was an active part of Operation Martillo, a multinational drug operation. Operation Martillo was launched in 2012 to help work towards halting illicit trafficking routes in Central America. In it's most recent mission, the operation managed to seize 7 tons of cocaine, NBC News reported. The seized cocaine is said to be valued at $135 million.

The illegal selling, trading or dealing of drugs has proven to be problematic along the Central American coast. The Coast Guard, however, is working towards fixing said problem.

"The successful whole-of-region approach to halt the flow of cocaine, heroin and other drugs into the region promotes stability, security and well-being of citizens of every country," Coast Guard Rear Adm. Christopher J. Tomney said in a 2016 news release. "Western Hemisphere and European partner nation efforts aim to shift maritime illicit trafficking away from the Central American littorals while also maximizing interdiction efforts in a resource-constrained environment."