Tons of cocaine, marijuana worth nearly $400M seized by Coast Guard
The US Coast Guard offloaded more than 12 tons of cocaine and 1 ton of marijuana in Florida on Tuesday – a gigantic mound of drugs seized in international waters.
The drugs – which carried a street value of nearly $400 million and were off-loaded in Port Everglades by the crew of the 270-foot Coast Guard Cutter Legare – were the fruits of major busts off the Pacific coast of Mexico, as well as Central and South America.
The massive pile of dope was the result of 17 separate drug smuggling vessel seizures, including five hauls by the Legare that totaled more than 4,500 pounds of cocaine. The Coast Guard Cutter Reliance, meanwhile, was responsible for seizing roughly 2,600 pounds of marijuana in one bust alone. Canadian Naval vessels also assisted in some of the interdictions, officials said.
“What these numbers represent is an increased commitment by the US and international partners to combat transnational criminal networks and promote stability in the Central American region, along the US southern border, and in the southern maritime approaches to the US,” Cmdr. Jonathan Carter, commanding officer of the Legare, said in a statement. “Today’s offload sends them a message that our network of partners and allies remains resolute in our commitment to stem the flow of illicit trafficking that breeds instability.”
U.S. Coast Guard Petty Officer Third Class Brandon Murray told The Post that the confiscated drugs are usually sent to federal to federal labs for testing, with portions kept as evidence for subsequent trials. The remainder is sent to the Drug Enforcement Administration, which destroys the drugs in a “controlled lab facility,” he said.
Video released Tuesday by Coast Guard officials showed dozens of wooden pallets packed with drugs worth more than $390 million.