Coast Guard offloads record 76,000 pounds of drugs in Florida

The U.S. Coast Guard offloaded 76,140 pounds of cocaine and marijuana valued at $473 million in Port Everglades, the largest drug offload in Coast Guard history, according to the agency.

On Monday, the crew of Coast Guard Cutter Hamilton offloaded approximately 61,740 pounds of cocaine and about 14,400 pounds of marijuana. The Coast Guard said the combined seizures represent “approximately 23 million potential lethal doses” that were prevented from reaching the United States.

The Coast Guard said the drugs were seized during 19 interdictions in international waters of the Eastern Pacific Ocean and the Caribbean Sea, with cases involving Coast Guard cutters and law enforcement teams working alongside U.S. Navy vessels and the Royal Netherlands Navy.

Locations included waters near the Galápagos Islands, Bonaire, Venezuela, Mexico, Jamaica, Aruba, Haiti and Curaçao.

“This represents a significant victory in the fight against transnational criminal organizations, highlighting our unwavering commitment to safeguarding the nation from illicit trafficking and its devastating impacts,” Rear Adm. Adam Chamie, commander of Coast Guard District Seven, said in a statement.

“To put this into perspective, the potential 23 million lethal doses of cocaine seized by the U.S. Coast Guard and our partners, are enough to fatally overdose the entire population of the state of Florida, underscoring the immense threat posed by transnational drug trafficking to our nation,” Chamie added.

Two weeks ago, the Trump administration announced the deployment of U.S. air and naval forces to the Southern Caribbean to address threats from Latin American drug cartels. The Pentagon confirmed that the deployment includes P-8 reconnaissance aircraft, warships, and one attack submarine.