BAJA CALIFORNIA – Suspected smugglers tossed dozens of bales of marijuana valued at about $22 million overboard earlier this week during a pursuit by the U.S. Coast Guard about 100 miles south of San Diego, authorities said.

A Coast Guard crew normally stationed in the Los Angeles area of Corona del Mar was on patrol early Monday morning in international waters when it spotted a suspicious speedboat in the area, a Coast Guard official said Wednesday.

The crew tried to pull the speedboat over. As they approached, people aboard the speedboat were seen throwing bales into the water.

Authorities said the high-powered vessel got away.

Coast Guard officials, with the help of a helicopter crew, picked up 137 bales of marijuana. The contraband is believed to have a street value of at least $22 million, officials said.

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