The National Aeronaval Service of Panama ( Senan ) seized a shipment of 1,830 drug packages in Panamanian Caribbean waters, and detained two Colombians for their alleged connection with the illicit substance, an official source reported Tuesday.

Senan units, during an illicit maritime traffic control patrol, intercepted a speedboat carrying narcotics in Boca de Daira, in the province of Bocas del Toro, in the Western Caribbean.

The crew of the boat, after noticing the presence of the naval air agents, threw a certain amount of packages into the sea and later fled and left the boat abandoned on the coast, said a Senan statement.

Senan troops searched for the packages thrown into the sea, as well as the alleged perpetrators, securing 1,830 drug packages and apprehending two foreigners, both of Colombian nationality, an official source told Efe.

In the operation, the documentation found at the scene was also seized.

So far in 2021, the Senan has achieved the total seizure of 42,129 packages of illicit substances, 147 people apprehended, 13 weapons and 1,428 ammunition of different calibers seized, 49 boats and 4 vehicles confiscated, according to official information.

Authorities said on July 5 that security forces seized 64 tons of drugs, mostly cocaine, and more than a thousand firearms in the first half of 2021.

The cost of illicit substances seized in this period represents an approximate value of 3,048,855 dollars, indicated the Ministry of Security (Minseg).

The results obtained between January 1 and June 30, 2021, in terms of drug seizures, represents an increase of 62% compared to the same period in 2020, according to official information.

The authorities of Panama - a transit country for drugs that are produced in the south of the continent and whose main market is North America - seized 84.87 tons of drugs last year, largely cocaine.