Description: US Customs and Border Protection announced Wednesday that it stopped a vessel allegedly smuggling an estimated five metric tons of cocaine, worth an estimated $353 million August 23. Authorities arrested four suspected smugglers Sunday, but not before they apparently intentionally sank the semi-submersible vessel. A Coast Guard detachment made the arrests and recovered 11 bales containing 1210 pounds of cocaine. Over 4 metric tons of cocaine are believed to have sunken with the vessel. A CBP P-3 Orion aircraft began tracking the semi-sub Sunday, after the crew noticed the suspicious vessel while conducting a routine patrol in the Pacific Ocean.