The crew of a speedboat dumped more than 100 packages of cocaine into the Pacific Ocean fleeing Colombia’s navy, authorities said Tuesday, as the country’s leader visited President Trump in Washington amid growing U.S. pressure to crack down on the drug trade. Colombia is the largest cocaine-producing nation in the world.

Authorities seized 115.7 kilograms of cocaine being transported on a “fast” vessel 55 nautical miles off Colombia’s Pacific coast during an operation against international drug trafficking, the country’s navy said in statement.

As authorities approached, the speedboat’s crew fled, throwing rectangular packages of the drug into the sea, Navy officials said he said. Officers retrieved 116 packages from the ocean.

Cocaine haul totaled 289,000 doses of the narcotic worth $5.6 million, Navy he said. Authorities released multiple images of the operation showing packages of alleged cocaine floating in the sea.

The seizure was announced on the same day that Colombian President Gustavo Petro met with President Trump at the White House.

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters on Tuesday that the meeting was not yet over and she could not give a reading, but said that Mr Trump had been in a “positive space” beforehand and was looking forward to it. Petro previously told CBS News he hoped dialogue with Mr Trump would “stop a world war”.

The Trump administration continued a military campaign against alleged drug transport ships off South America in the Pacific Ocean and the Caribbean Sea. More than 100 people were killed in these attacks, which began in September.

Relations between Washington and Bogotá are strained, and the US accuses the Colombian government of failing to curb the rise of cocaine production. Last October, Mr. Trump his name is Petro “illegal drug kingpin”, and Finance Minister Scott Bessent announced sanctions against Peter and his family. The US also removed Colombia from list of allies in the war on drugs.

However, Colombia has recently announced several major drug arrests.

Last month, the Colombian Navy seized two tons of cocaine after chasing a speedboat full of drugs and fuel in the South Pacific Ocean. In November, the nation announced its own the largest cocaine arrest in a decade, with 14 tons seized in a major Pacific port.