4.6 tons of cocaine seized in Caribbean

updated 8:40 p.m. ET June 28, 2008

TEGUCIGALPA, Honduras - At least 4.6 tons of cocaine were found on a boat in the Caribbean Sea and six of the vessel's crew members were arrested, Honduran authorities said Saturday.

Honduran Navy Comm. Juan Pablo Rodriguez said the cocaine was found on the Honduran-flagged Eclipse about 100 miles off the Honduran coast in a joint operation with the U.S. Coast Guard. The area is near the Nicaraguan border.

Rodriguez said Saturday that the officials were still searching the boat and the total of the haul could end up being more than 4.6 tons.

Honduran authorities estimate that 100 tons of cocaine from Colombia pass through the Central American nation each year en route to the United States.

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