Two navy vessels have been welcomed home at CFB Esquimalt.
Members aboard HMCS Nanaimo and Edmonton are home from a two-month deployment on Operation CARIBBE, Canada's contribution to the multinational effort to address illicit drug trafficking in the Caribbean and eastern Pacific Ocean.
Commanding Officer for HMCS Edmonton, Kristina Gray describes the total haul.
"We totaled about 2,433 kilograms of cocaine on board. If anyone is looking for a visual reference, that is about the size of a sea container."
Navy officers were also involved in a medical emergency at sea when one of the El Salvadoran crew members injured his hand trying to get the illicit drugs off of the ship. Medical officials aboard HMCS Edmonton were able to treat the injured sailor. But, that wasn't the end of their rescue operations.
"But as we were turning around and heading away, back out to sea, we found two sea turtles also in need of rescue within 90 minutes of each other. So first we found one and then we found the other, and so my crew was very happy about the day we rescued just about everybody from the ocean."
Over the past twelve years, the Canadian Armed Forces has contributed to the disruption or seizure of approximately 85.5 metric tonnes of cocaine and over 6.5 tonnes of marijuana.