A turtle has been rescued after finding itself tangled in a drug trafficking plot … literally.

The US Coast Guard found the loggerhead turtle floating in the Pacific Ocean last month, trapped in the middle of 26 bales of cocaine.

The bales, which together contained over 800 kilograms of the drug, were strung together with rope which was tangled up with the turtle’s neck and fins.

Video released by the US Defence Department showed the crew members on the Coast Guard vessel using a knife to cut the turtle free.

The vessel was part of an operation targeting drug trafficking routes along the Central American coast.