3 days ago
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Coast Guard offloads grounds haul of seized cocaine astatine Port Everglades
The U.S. Coast Guard offloaded implicit 38 tons of cocaine and marijuana Monday greeting astatine Port Everglades in Fort Lauderdale. It's the largest cocaine offload successful Coast Guard history, officials said.
The 76,140 pounds of amerciable narcotics were seized during 19 interdictions successful the Eastern Pacific Ocean and Caribbean Sea, according to the Coast Guard.
The drugs were brought to larboard by the Coast Guard Cutter Hamilton.
On manus for the offload were Coast Guard Rear Admiral Adam Chamie, commandant of the southeast district, and U.S. Navy Rear Admiral Chase Sargeant, lawman manager of the Joint Interagency Task Force-South.
"The unit of Hamilton, who person been connected the vessel for implicit the past 2 months, personally interdicted implicit 47,000 pounds cocaine. These men and women enactment themselves successful harm's mode clip and again to halt the atrocious guys, apprehend the smugglers and prehend the drugs. This is grueling and unsafe work, and I americium highly arrogant of them," Chamie said.
Chamie said the unit of the Hamilton was joined by respective different Coast Guard, Department of Defense and Department of Homeland Security units during the deployment. He added that they besides had planetary assistance, explaining that the Royal Netherlands Navy and the unit of HNLMS Friesland took part.
Enough cocaine to termination everyone successful Florida
Chamie said the crews interdicted a full of 61,740 pounds of cocaine and 14,400 pounds of bulk marijuana, a staggering $473 cardinal successful amerciable narcotics, earlier they could scope the shores of the U.S.
"To genuinely recognize the value of this offload, see this. The 61,740 pounds of cocaine represents 23 cardinal perchance lethal doses. That's capable to fatally overdose the full colonisation of the authorities of Florida. Think astir that for a moment, capable cocaine to termination everyone successful Florida," Chamie said. "That's the immense standard of the menace we face."
Chamie said maritime interdictions are the astir effectual mode to halt these deadly drugs "before they scope our communities, earlier they destruct lives and teardrop our families apart."
Rear Admiral Chase Sargeant said the ongoing associated operations are making a difference.
"I deliberation if you privation to see, successful general, what is keeping America harmless from drugs, it's this. The enactment they are doing retired determination each day, each night, 365, 24/7, retired successful the East Pac, successful the Eastern Pacific, and the Caribbean. This is what's keeping drugs disconnected the streets of America and this is what's winning the warfare connected drugs," helium said.
Recent Coast Guard cocaine seizures starring up to grounds offload
May 29: The Coast Guard offloaded much than 28,500 pounds of cocaine worth $211.3 million astatine Port Everglades pursuing 4 palmy interdictions successful the Eastern Pacific.
May 10: Coast Guard crews recovered 3,984 pounds of cocaine from a bale tract 660 miles southbound of Acapulco, Mexico.
May 6: An embarked chopper unit observed vessels discarding bales, starring to the retrieval of 14,559 pounds of cocaine from 3 bale fields 575 miles southwest of Acapulco, Mexico.
May 5: Crews recovered 9,993 pounds of cocaine from a bale tract 475 miles southwest of Colima, Mexico.
May 3: A patrol craft spotted 2 suspicious vessels 170 miles westbound of Mexico, starring to the interdiction of 4,630 pounds of cocaine, with astir transferred to Ecuadorian authorities.
John MacLauchlan is simply a integer contented shaper for CBS Miami. He attended Florida State University and graduated with a Communications degree. John joined the CBS Miami integer squad successful February 2007.
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