KEY WEST, Fla. – Thanks to a U.S. Coast Guard crew, a sea turtle is was freed after being tied up with bales of drugs.

The Coast Guard Cutter Thetis was returning to its home port in Key West on Nov. 19 after a 68-day drug patrol in the Pacific Ocean when the crew noticed the struggling turtle, according to a Coast Guard press release.

The sea creature had its neck and flippers tangled in 75 feet of rope. The crew was able to cut the turtle out of the line, but also recovered that 1,800 pounds of cocaine valued at $53 million that were floating the with turtle.

In total, the crew seized 14,861 pounds of cocaine, 14 pounds of marijuana and took in 24 suspected drug smugglers during its nearly two month patrol.