U.S. Coast Guard to offload more than half a billion dollars in cocaine after seizure

A string of drug busts at sea has left the U.S. Coast Guard with more than half a billion dollars worth of cocaine to offload.

The crew of U.S. Coast Guard Cutter James will offload nearly 18.5 tonnes of cocaine, estimated at nearly C$659 million, at Port Everglades in Fort Lauderdale, according to CBS Miami. Dramatic video was released Thursday showing the apprehension of various boats with contraband — some tied together.

The South Florida Sun Sentinel reports that the haul was collected by eight cutters intercepting 15 different smuggling vessels in the Eastern Pacific Ocean off the coasts of Mexico, Central and South America.

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“This multi-ton offload of cocaine represents not just the work of the men and women of Coast Guard Cutter James, but that of our partners and allies that work every day to dismantle the criminal organizations that seek to profit from trafficking drugs and other illicit items to our shores,” said Capt. Jeffrey Randall, commanding officer of the Cutter James.

“It takes a network to defeat a network, and we will continue to expand our capabilities and leverage these partnerships to amplify our impact and stop this illegal trade which threatens our national security and breeds instability in our partner nations.”