A U.S. Coast Guard cutter crew on Thursday offloaded more than 12,000 pounds of narcotics at a Miami Beach port that the agency says is worth hundreds of millions of dollars on the street.
Members of the Cutter Valiant dropped over 6 tons of the cocaine at Coast Guard Base Miami Beach — valued at more than $140 million — from six interdictions in the Caribbean Sea conducted by U.S. and allied forces, according to the agency.
About 17 suspected smugglers were detained during the operations that involved multiple agencies, including the U.S. Coast Guard cutters Valiant and Joseph Doyle, the Royal Netherlands Navy’s HNLMS Groningen, the Royal Canadian Navy’s HMCS Harry DeWolf, the U.S. Coast Guard Tactical Law Enforcement Team Pacific, and U.S. Customs and Border Protection Air and Marine Operations.
The seized contraband was the result of six interdictions in the Caribbean Sea, and 17 suspected smugglers were transferred ashore to face federal prosecution in U.S. courts.
“These seizures are a testament to the Coast Guard’s continued dedication to safeguard America by securing our maritime borders,” Lt. j.g. Jesus Martinez Borges, a Seventh Coast Guard District enforcement officer, said in a statement. “The Coast Guard and our partners work tirelessly to deny drug trafficking organizations access to smuggling routes bound for the United States. Our efforts contribute to federal investigations and prosecutions that further seek to disrupt and dismantle transnational criminal activity abroad, which threaten Americans here at home.”
The Coast Guard detailed four of the interdictions in a press release Thursday.
On Feb. 2, a Dutch Caribbean Coast Guard air crew located a suspicious vessel in international waters about 30 miles north of Venezuela. The crew of the Groningen, along with a U.S. Coast Guard crew embedded on the ship, intercepted a speed boat with five people on board, and hauling about 6,220 pounds of cocaine, according to the agency.
The same day, an HC-144 Ocean Sentry plane from Coast Guard Air Station Miami detected a boat traveling in international waters about 35 miles southwest of the U.S. Virgin Islands. The Coast Guard Cutter Joseph Doyle intercepted the vessel, catching three people and confiscating about 2,200 pounds of cocaine, according to the press release.
On Feb. 14, a Dutch patrol airplane crew spotted a boat traveling about 18 miles north of Venezuela. Two patrol boats launched from the Groningen with U.S. Coast Guardsmen aboard chased after the speed boat, but the vessel found Venezuelan international waters before they could catch it. However, the speedboat crew jettisoned about 571 pounds of cocaine during the pursuit, which the Coast Guard recovered, per the agency.
Then on Feb. 17, a U.S. Customs and Border Protection Air and Marine Operations airplane crew spotted a boat traveling in international waters about 50 miles northeast of the Dominican Republic, according to the Coast Guard. The Cutter Valiant launched a patrol boat crew, which intercepted the speedboat, catching five suspected smugglers and seizing 1,280 pounds of cocaine.
“The Valiant crew’s interdiction is one of many law enforcement actions highlighting the time-tested partnership and outstanding coordination of the Seventh Coast Guard District, Coast Guard Sector San Juan, and U.S. Customs and Border Protection Caribbean Air and Marine Branch,” Cmdr. Matthew Press, commanding officer of Valiant, said in a statement.
Miami Herald staff writer David Goodhue contributed to this story.
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