TAMPA, Fla.?The captain of a ship found to be carrying a ton of cocaine jumped overboard while handcuffed and drowned, federal authorities said Monday.

Last month’s bust was part of “Operation Panama Express,” an investigation of drug smuggling in the Eastern Pacific. More than 185 people have been arrested and 120 tons of cocaine seized.

Authorities said a Coast Guard team was aboard a Dutch warship on March 23 when a military aircraft spotted the 187-foot freighter Liv off Aruba in the southern Caribbean.

During the seizure, the captain of the Liv, Kelly Nikinor Diosio Ceballos, jumped over the side of the ship. He was pulled from the water within five minutes, but could not be revived, U.S. attorney’s officials said.

Nine others aboard the Liv were brought to Tampa to face charges of conspiracy and possession with intent to distribute cocaine. They come from Ecuador, Jamaica, Peru, Panama and Colombia.