Photo: The Canadian Press

The U.S. Coast Guard, with the help of a Canadian navy vessel, says it has made a massive cocaine bust in international waters.

The American agency says it has seized about 14.5 tonnes of cocaine.

The drugs were seized along Central and South America by the U.S. Coast Guard and the HMCS Saskatoon, which joined the operation in February.

U.S. Coast Guard officials say the Canadian vessel was involved in one case, seizing an estimated one tonne of cocaine.

In a news conference this morning in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., U.S. Coast Guard Capt. Mark Feder says 30 people were detained and will be prosecuted in the U.S.

The U.S. has increased its presence in the Eastern Pacific Ocean and Caribbean Basin, which officials say are known drug transit routes.