FORT LAUDERDALE, FLA. (WSVN) - The U.S. Coast Guard is expected to offload about six tons of cocaine in Fort Lauderdale.
The USCG said an estimated $180 million worth of drugs were seized in the Eastern Pacific Ocean during six separate interdictions with drug smuggling vessels. These vessels were off the coasts of Central and South America and Mexico.
The crew of the USCG Cutter James is expected to offload the six-ton haul at Port Everglades on Thursday.
Three USCG cutters were responsible for the interdictions between late February and mid-April, officials said.
“We were actually conducting a tri-lateral operation with some law enforcement agencies from Colombia and Mexico,” said USCG Cpt. Mark Fedor. “The combined effort was this seizure of six tons of cocaine within a pretty short period [of time]. That’s about $180 million worth of cocaine.”
Eleven arrests were made during the drug seizures. Four were taken back to Costa Rica, while the others are expected to be prosecuted here in the U.S.
Some of the drugs will be kept by officials for evidence, while the remaining drugs will be destroyed.
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