It was the maritime patrol aircraft of the Dutch Caribbean Coast Guard, which spotted two suspicious vessels during a late August night. The vessels departed from the South American coast and were heading towards the islands in the North of the Caribbean Sea. The crew of the maritime patrol aircraft contacted the guard ship Groningen, which was conducting counter illicit trafficking operations in the Caribbean Sea.
HNLMS Groningen set course towards the suspicious vessels and launched its helicopter. During the transfer to the suspicious vessels, their every move was observed by the maritime patrol aircrafts of the Dutch Caribbean Coast Guard and the U.S. Customs and Border Protection. On the arrival of the helicopter, the crew of the suspicious vessels started dumping multiple packages over board. These packages were so heavy that they sunk immediately. Video footage was made of these actions. This footage is transferred to the authorities and will be used for further investigation. An estimate of 300 kg of what is assessed to be cocaine disappeared to the bottom of the sea.