A drug shipment valued at 57 million dollars arrived this Monday at Port Everglades, Florida, after being seized in the Caribbean by vessels from the United States Coast Guard (USCG) during two separate operations, as reported by the institution in a statement.
The crew of the coast guard USCGC Escanaba offloaded approximately 7,250 pounds of cocaine and 2,082 pounds of marijuana at a Florida port, resulting from two interdictions carried out in conjunction with the USCGC Richard Dixon, a fast response Sentinel-class coast guard.
The operation also involved the Law Enforcement Detachment 101 (LEDET 101), part of the Pacific Tactical Law Enforcement Team of the Coast Guard, the Homeland Security Cutter-Ocean, the Southern Joint Interagency Task Force (JIATF-S), and the duty staff of the Southeast District of the Coast Guard, based in Miami.
The JIATF-S, based in Key West, is the central agency responsible for detecting and monitoring the air and maritime traffic of illegal drugs in the Caribbean.
Once an interdiction is imminent, control of the operation passes to the Coast Guard for the capture and apprehension phases.
An exemplary team effort
The first-class sergeant Douglas Strong, a boatswain assigned to the Escanaba, highlighted the coordination that made the operation's success possible.
“The excellent oversight and swift, decisive actions allowed for the success of this interdiction,” said Strong, as reported in the statement.
"In order for an interdiction like this to occur, the entire crew must execute the operation flawlessly. It was an exemplary team effort that ensured that over 2,000 pounds of illegal narcotics never reached our communities. Thanks to the crews of the Coast Guard Richard Dixon and the Homeland Security Cutter-Ocean for their collaboration: one team, one fight," the officer added.
Other recent operations against drug trafficking
At the end of April, the same Coast Guard unloaded approximately 7,050 pounds of cocaine valued at over 53 million dollars in Port Everglades, following interceptions in the Caribbean and the Eastern Pacific.
In August, an international operation intercepted a boat carrying 2,428 kilograms of cocaine and 619 pounds of marijuana, with three suspects detained.
In July, U.S. authorities seized tons of narcotics in the Caribbean Sea with the involvement of JIATF-S, Southern Command, and the Coast Guard of Costa Rica.
The pressure on maritime drug trafficking networks in the region is not limited to interdictions.
Last Monday, U.S. Southern Command (SOUTHCOM) carried out an attack on a go-fast vessel in the Caribbean that resulted in four deaths, allegedly linked to drug trafficking.
According to accumulated reports, the campaign of military attacks by the U.S. against drug trafficking vessels in the region had resulted in at least 231 deaths in 69 attacks up to that date.
The ship and its mission
The USCGC Escanaba is a medium endurance 270-foot Famous-class cutter, based in Portsmouth, Virginia, operating under the Atlantic Area Command of the Coast Guard.
The institution is the leading federal agency in the United States for maritime drug interdiction and is part of the Department of Homeland Security.
The Coast Guard stated that its ongoing operations in the Caribbean have deprived criminal organizations of billions of dollars in illicit income, hindering the flow of narcotics into American communities.
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