PORT EVERGLADES, FLA. (WSVN) - The U.S. Coast Guard offloaded over a billion dollars worth of drugs at Port Everglades.
The Coast Guard announced, Thursday, that the Cutter James crew offloaded approximately 59,700 pounds of cocaine and approximately 1,430 pounds of marijuana.
Officials said the drugs are worth over $1.4 billion and the haul is the largest offload in the agency’s history.
“This is the largest illicit drug offload in Coast Guard history. It’s historic,” said Vice Admiral Steven Poulin, the Coast Guard’s Atlantic Area Commander.
Officials said the load was interdicted with the help of multiple Coast Guard units, Customs and Border Patrol assets and Canadian partners.
“It feels good, honestly,” said Chris Smeltzer with the U.S. Coast Guard. “Considering you can stop all this from entering America and putting people away who shouldn’t be smuggling drugs into this country.”
Months of grueling work by the men and women of the U.S. Coast Guard came to fruition.
“It was really amazing, three months that we spent out there interdicting these suspected narco-traffickers and getting all these kilos off the water,” said Carson McCluskey with the U.S. Coast Guard.
Officials said it was another blow to major criminal organizations.
“This crew and their efforts have struck a significant blow in the fight to combat the criminal networks who create the destabilizing influence we are all witnessing in Central America and at our nation’s southern border,” said Capt. Todd Vance, Commanding Officer of Coast Guard Cutter James.
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