COAST GUARD NABS 2 1/2 TONS OF MARIJUANA

MIAMI -- The Coast Guard seized nearly 5,000 pounds of marijuana and four
smugglers after a boat chase that lasted 11 hours.

The drugs had a street value of about $4.4 million, said Zach Mann, a U.S.
Customs spokesman.

The Coast Guard cutter Monhegan docked today in Key West with the drugs,
the 33-foot vessel and the four suspects. All were turned over to Customs.

The chase began Sunday, when the Monhegan spotted the vessel 25 miles south
of Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, the Guard said. It passed into Cuban waters,
temporarily halting the pursuit because the Guard cannot go there.

The Monhegan caught up with the vessel and boarded it in international
waters after it emerged off the eastern tip of Cuba, heading north for the
Bahamas.

The four suspects had no identification and the vessel was not registered
with any country.

The seizure brings the amount of marijuana seized by the Coast guard this
year to nearly 35,000 pounds.