The crew of Coast Guard Cutter Forward offloaded more than 7,302 pounds of cocaine with an assessed street value of approximately $96 million in Port Everglades, Monday.
Coast Guard crews, working alongside interagency and international partners, interdicted the illegal drugs in the international waters of the Caribbean Sea during three separate cases.
“This was another vital success of our combined drug interdiction efforts,” said Lt. Cmdr. Juan Ramirez, a Coast Guard District Seven staff attorney.
“These drug offloads underscore our continued partnerships with the U.S. Navy and the Royal Netherlands Navy in combating the flow of illicit narcotics across the Caribbean.
The success of our joint efforts to save lives by reducing the availability of these harmful drugs is dependent on our cooperation with regional and international partners.”
The following assets and crews were involved in the interdictions:
- Royal Netherlands Navy ship HNLMS Groningen (P 843)
- USS St. Louis (LCS-19)
- U.S. Coast Guard Tactical Law Enforcement Team Pacific (PAC-TACLET) Law Enforcement Detachments 110 and 105
- U.S. Coast Guard Helicopter Interdiction Tactical Squadron (HITRON)
- Joint Interagency Task Force South (JIATF-South)
- U.S. Customs and Border Protection Air and Marine Operations (CBP-AMO)
Three suspected smugglers will face prosecution in federal courts by the Department of Justice.
