The US Coast Guard has intercepted the motor vessel Grace in the Caribbean Sea as part of an international operation targeting illicit fuel shipments to Cuba.

Axar.az reports, citing the US Coast Guard, that the Coast Guard escorted the Grace to Progreso, Mexico, where a Mexican Navy inspection team found large quantities of fuel stored in the vessel’s ballast tanks. Several containers believed to contain illicit fuel were also found on board.

The Coast Guard said the unsafe storage of fuel in ballast tanks posed environmental risks, including potential oil spills and pollution affecting coastal communities and marine ecosystems.

The operation involved the US Coast Guard cutters Alert and Charles Sexton, an HC-144 aircraft, a tactical law enforcement team and Southeast District personnel.