Two British Columbians arrested after allegedly dumping bales of pot off a boat during a high-speed chase in Port Angeles, Washington, have been charged with conspiracy to import marijuana.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection says its agents first spotted the duo near Callam Bay, west of Port Angeles, early Monday coming ashore on a boat with several large, dark packages that shone when illuminated with a flashlight.

A special agent with the U.S. Homeland Security's Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) team said the men jumped back into the vessel and headed north in the Strait of Juan de Fuca after he ordered them to stop.

According to court documents, agent Peter Gomez said he overheard a man say "This is not good, get the stuff and get back into the boat," before fleeing.

The men were apprehended by a border patrol vessel after a three-minute chase.

Officials say they confiscated eight bundles of marijuana, totaling 547 pounds, floating in the water near the boat. The packages were wrapped in black plastic and secured with silver duct tape.

Kyle Grayson Gadsby, 25, and Colin Charles Crowe, 26, both of Maple Ridge, B.C., appeared in a Tacoma, Washington, courtroom yesterday. The men have been remanded to the federal detention centre in Seatac until their next court appearance.

According to court documents, both Gadsby and Crowe told customs officials they knew the packages on their boat contained marijuana. The men were to be paid $5,000 to transport the drugs to a beach in the U.S., they said.

Gadsby told agents he and Crowe were instructed to contact an unknown person on the radio for a pickup once they arrived at the beach.

Agents heard that the men started throwing the packages overboard when they saw the flashing lights of the patrol boat.

The men are scheduled to appear at a detention hearing on Monday to determine if they are eligible to return Canada until their trial date.

Emily Langlie of the U.S. Attorney's Office said the duo will still face restrictions if they are released from protective custody.

"In this case their movement could be restricted to B.C. and only allowed in the U.S. for court appearances," she told ctvbc.ca.

In the U.S., conspiracy to import marijuana carries a minimum mandatory sentence of five years in prison -- and a maximum of 40 years.