PORT EVERGLADES, FLA. (WSVN) - The crew of the Coast Guard Cutter Forward offloaded more than 7,302 pounds of cocaine, with an estimated street value of approximately $96 million, on Monday.
The cocaine was retrieved in international waters of the Caribbean Sea during three separate cases by Coast Guard crews working with interagency and international partners.
“This was another vital success of our combined drug interdiction efforts,” Lt. Cmdr. Juan Ramirez, a Coast Guard District Seven staff attorney said in a news release. “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 interdictions involved the Royal Netherlands Navy ship HNLMS Groningen, the USS St. Louis, U.S. Coast Guard Tactical Law Enforcement Team Pacific, U.S. Coast Guard Helicopter Interdiction Tactical Squadron, Joint Interagency Task Force South, and U.S. Customs and Border Protection Air and Marine Operations.
Three suspected smugglers will face prosecution in federal courts by the Department of Justice.
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