US Coast Guard Offloads Record 77,000 Pounds of Illegal Drugs

Historic Drug Interdiction

• ⚓ The U.S. Coast Guard has achieved a historic milestone by offloading over 77,000 pounds of illegal narcotics at Port Everglades.
• 🗓️ This massive haul, seized earlier this summer by the Coast Guard cutter Hamilton, represents the largest single drug offload in the Coast Guard's history.

Seized Narcotics and Value

• ❄️ The offloaded contraband includes more than 60,000 pounds of cocaine and nearly 16,000 pounds of marijuana.
• 💰 The total street value of the seized drugs is estimated to be more than $473 million.

Origin and Criminal Networks

• 🗺️ Many of the interdicted vessels originated from Venezuela and are linked to organized crime gangs in Latin America, including Tropa de Elite and Cartel de Soles.
• ⚠️ These criminal organizations are identified as the same groups responsible for pushing fentanyl and other deadly substances into communities.

Operation and Enforcement

• 🚢 The interdiction occurred in August, approximately 40 miles southwest of Haiti, involving a suspected drug smuggling vessel.
• 🌐 This operation is part of Operation Pacific Viper, with additional cutters, aircraft, and law enforcement teams deployed to the eastern Pacific Ocean to combat drug smuggling.
• 🤝 The drugs are transported under heavy security and surveillance to the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) for processing.