US Coast Guard offloads $57m in cocaine and marijuana at Florida port

US Coast Guard crews offloaded $57m in seized drugs at Port Everglades, Florida, following two Caribbean Sea interdictions. Over 7,250 lbs of cocaine and 2,082 lbs of marijuana were seized.

US Coast Guard offloads $57m in cocaine and marijuana at Florida port

Coast Guard seizes $57 million in narcotics after Caribbean interdictions

Fox13news.com reports that US Coast Guard crews offloaded approximately $57 million worth of illegal drugs at Port Everglades, Florida, on Monday, following two separate high-seas interdictions in the Caribbean Sea.

Personnel aboard Coast Guard Cutter Escanaba brought ashore roughly 7,250 pounds of cocaine and 2,082 pounds of marijuana. The seizures were the result of joint operations involving the Escanaba and Coast Guard Cutter Richard Dixon, with an embarked Coast Guard law enforcement detachment operating alongside both vessels.

Several units contributed to the operation: Coast Guard Cutter Escanaba, US Coast Guard Tactical Law Enforcement Team – Pacific LEDET 101, Coast Guard Cutter Richard Dixon, Homeland Security Cutter-Ocean, Joint Interagency Task Force South, and Coast Guard Southeast District watchstanders.

Petty Officer 1st Class Douglas Strong, a boatswain's mate assigned to Escanaba, described the effort as a coordinated ship-wide operation. "A complete ship-wide evolution must go flawlessly for an interdiction like this to happen," Strong said. "It was a textbook team effort that ensured over 2,000 pounds of illicit narcotics never made it into our communities."

Officials credited fast decision-making by watchstanders as a key factor in the mission's success.

Authorities have not released information on whether any suspects were arrested or face charges in connection with the seized contraband.

The Coast Guard serves as the lead federal agency for maritime drug interdiction under the Department of Homeland Security. Caribbean Sea operations fall under the Coast Guard Southeast District, headquartered in Miami.

Coast Guard Cutter Escanaba is a 270-foot medium endurance cutter homeported in Portsmouth, Virginia, and operates under US Coast Guard Atlantic Area Command. Officials stated that sustained rapid-response interdictions deny criminal organisations billions of dollars in revenue while preventing bulk drugs from reaching American cities.

Source: Google News MT — Crime (en)