The US Coast Guard found and confiscated more than one metric ton of cocaine, with an estimated value of $32 million.
Over 2,450 lbs of cocaine were discovered in Miami, Florida, on Tuesday by the crew of the USCGC Margaret Norvell.
Reports show two distinct seizures occurred in the Caribbean Sea, according to a statement issued by the United States Coast Guard (USCG) after the discovery. Narcotics were collected in each seizure. They said that the six traffickers they caught would be prosecuted in federal court by the Justice Department.
Commanding Officer Lt. Cmdr. Colin Weaver publicly praised the crew members involved for their contributions.
Weaver noted that the Coast Guard Cutter Margaret Norvell successfully brought the suspected smugglers and unlawful goods onshore for prosecution, thanks to the outstanding work of the Coast Guard sailors and agency partners participating in the interdiction. Rescue operations and the apprehension of transnational criminal organizations focusing on the Caribbean are two of the Coast Guard’s most vital homeland and maritime security duties.
The US Coast Guard also said that the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) are looking into these incidents, saying that their job is to find the most dangerous criminal groups in the nation and bring them down.
In two distinct instances, the drugs were apprehended on international seas with the help of the Joint Interagency Task Force South, Cutter Dauntless, and Cutter Richard Nixon.
The DOJ has filed federal charges against six more individuals who are now facing possible smuggling charges after their arrest.
With the help of prosecutors and other law enforcement agencies, the task force identifies, dismantles, and disrupts criminal groups with a high degree of influence in the US.
According to the US Coast Guard, the operation’s control is transferred to them during the interdiction and arrest phases.
While fishing in the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of Florida in 2023, Tampa Bay Mayor Jane Castor found 70 pounds of cocaine, with a value of $1.1 million. According to the mayor, 25 bricks of cocaine were discovered floating in the ocean.
