PORT EVERGLADES, FLA. (WSVN) - Suspected drug smugglers were stopped at sea and arrested by the U.S. Coast Guard after a large sum of pot and cocaine was found on board.
The crew of the U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Legare have been working hard at sea since February. They’ve recovered nearly 25,000 pounds of cocaine and 2,600 pounds of marijuana, Tuesday.
The amount of drugs they recovered has a street value of about $400 million.
“We’re highly trained, we’re highly focused and what we’re trying to do is get that mission done,” said Coast Guard Chief Petty Officer Jessie Oliver. “We’re really locked into that.”
The Coast Guard picked up those narcotics on 17 different interdictions across areas of Caribbean seas.
7Skyforce hovered over the scene of four alleged smugglers in custody as they sat on the dock of the cutter.
The Coast Guard released pictures of crew members boarding the small rudimentary boats where drugs can be hidden in various compartments inside.
Seaman Hazarmabet Martinez told 7News about the dangers of what they do overseas. “As far as a lot of these people, you never know what you’re going to encounter, so that adds to the factors, as well as drug smuggling,” he said. “Some of those boats were specifically used for drug smuggling, so it makes it hard for us to get inside those boats, as well as regressing out of those boats. All that adds to the excitement and it adds to the dangers as well.”
The crew will be in South Florida on a three-day leave before returning to Virginia.
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