HALIFAX — Authorities have seized 273 kilograms of suspected cocaine from a boat on Nova Scotia's south shore.
The Canada Border Services Agency says its officers boarded a small vessel in Lunenburg County on Sunday that had arrived from Saint Martin.
It says officers seized several bricks of suspected cocaine, and the RCMP was called in.
A 68-year-old Hubbards, N.S., man was arrested at the scene at 11:30 p.m., while a 59-year-old Montreal man was arrested about four hours later at a hotel in Dartmouth.
Both men are scheduled to appear in Halifax provincial court this morning.
Jacques John Grenier of Nova Scotia and Luc Chevrefils of Montreal both face charges of possession of cocaine for the purpose of trafficking and conspiracy to import cocaine. Grenier faces an additional charge of importing cocaine.
The RCMP said it is the second significant suspected drug seizure in 2017 in Nova Scotia. About 200 kilograms of hashish was found hidden in a chocolate bar shipment at the Port of Halifax in May.
"By sharing intelligence and co-ordinating enforcement activities, (the RCMP and CBSA) are targeting criminal groups and networks that are using increasingly sophisticated methods to attempt to smuggle drugs into our country," RCMP Supt. Alfredo Bangloy said in a statement.
