US Coast Guard seizes $61 million worth of cocaine, majority south of Dominican Republic
Coast Guard off-loaded over 1,469 kilograms of seized cocaine in Port Everglades, Florida
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}U.S. Coast Guard crews intercepted bales of cocaine worth tens of millions of dollars at sea last week, officials said Saturday.
The seizures totaled more than $61 million worth of cocaine that would be kept of the streets, the USCG Southeast said in a Facebook post.
The drugs weighed a total of 1,469 kilograms, or just over 3,200 pounds.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Crews arrested nine total suspects in connection with transporting the contraband.
A Coast Guard Cutter Forward crewmember maintains watch of illegal narcotics in Port Everglades, Florida, April 18, 2023. (U.S. Coast Guard photo by Petty Officer 3rd Class Ryan Estrada)
Most of the cocaine was found 71 miles south of the Dominican Republic, where USCG crews detained three suspects and discovered 22 bales of cocaine.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The cocaine weighed a total of 1,469 kilograms, or just over 3,200 pounds. (U.S. Coast Guard photo by Petty Officer 3rd Class Ryan Estrada)
The USCG shared photos of crews off-loading the bales of cocaine from the Coast Guard Cutter Forward on April 18.
Earlier this month, the USCG said the crew of USS Farragut stopped in Port Everglades, Florida, to off-load about 2,314 kilograms – or 5,101 pounds – of cocaine and 1,986 pounds of marijuana worth a combined $69 million.
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{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"We were proud to work with the U.S. Coast Guard on the frontline of the threat that transnational drug trafficking presents to national security," Navy Cmdr. Nicholas Gurley, commanding officer of USS Farragut, said at the time.
The USCG also announced last month that another massive seizure of cocaine was being off-loaded.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}In that case, officials said eight smugglers were caught transporting $160.3 million in cocaine in three separate seizures in the international waters of the Caribbean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean.