Coast Guard Offloads More Than 14 Tons Of Illegal Drugs

FORT LAUDERDALE, FL — The U.S. Coast Guard offloaded more than 11,500 pounds of cocaine and 17,000 pounds of marijuana Thursday at Port Everglades. That amounts to more than 14 tons of illegal drugs.

Coast Guard officials said the drugs, worth an estimated $228 million, were seized in multiple eastern Pacific and Caribbean Sea interdictions.off the coasts of Mexico, Central and South America, and in the Caribbean Sea.

The drugs were brought to Port Everglades by the crew of the U.S. Coast Guard cutter Hamilton, which is stationed in North Charleston, South Carolina.

Coast Guard cutters and U.S. Navy ships seized the drugs during 13 separate interdictions:

• The cutter Hamilton crew was responsible for nine interdictions, seizing approximately 9,700 pounds of cocaine and 9,000 pounds of marijuana.
• The cutter Resolute (WMEC 620) crew was responsible for one interdiction, seizing approximately 1,100 pounds of marijuana.
• The USS Nitze (DDG 94) crew with embarked Coast Guard Law Enforcement Detachment Team 406 was responsible for two interdictions seizing approximately 1,700 pounds of cocaine and approximately 6,100 pounds of marijuana.
• The USS Shamal crew with an embarked Coast Guard Law Enforcement Detachment Team 109 was responsible for one interdiction, seizing approximately 800 pounds of marijuana.