The U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) showed off its haul of about $500 million in cocaine seized over a 26-day period in which a Canadian vessel assisted in the operation in international waters.
During a press conference at Fort Lauderdale’s Port Everglades, the U.S. Coast Guard displayed nearly 16 tons of cocaine seized in the waters along Central and South America.
The coast guard put a wholesale value on the haul of nearly $560 million.
On March 12, HMCS Saskatoon seized roughly 660 kilograms of cocaine during the operation dubbed Caribbe and in assistance with the USCG.
READ MORE: HMCS Saskatoon seizes 660 kilograms of cocaine
Crew members then recovered 33 bales of cocaine from the boat as well as what had been tossed overboard.
“I am extremely pleased to see that the great training the crew has received in recent months came together for a successful interdiction in support of regional stability,” Lt.Cmdr. Todd Bacon, commanding officer of HMCS Saskatoon, said in a statement released earlier this month.
Operation Caribbe is a multinational campaign targeting drug trafficking by criminal organizations in the eastern Pacific Ocean and the Caribbean Sea.
WATCH: US Coast Guard unloads massive amount of drugs seized with help from Canadian Navy
-with a file from Global News reporter David Giles