Bogota, Aug 27 (EFE) Colombian and US officials have seized more than four tonnes of cocaine and captured nine drug traffickers from a vessel in the international waters near this Andean nation, officials said.

Nine people including five Colombians, three Panamanians and a Ghanaian on board the Panama-flagged vessel were arrested, said Col. Henry Gamboa of Colombia's anti-narcotics police.

The vessel was intercepted some 60 nautical miles off the coast of La Guajira province in northern Colombia as part of a joint operation, Gamboa said. A total of 4,075 kg of cocaine was seized, he said.

The boat was on route from the Venezuelan port of Guaranao to Honduras, Colombian police said in a statement.

Colombia and the US have intensified efforts to curb the illegal drug trafficking in the region.