Cocaine valued at an estimated US$22 million was last week seized by the Miami-based United States Naval Forces South Command during an operation in the Caribbean Sea.
Five suspected drug traffickers were also detained.
A statement from the US Navy said during the exercise the combat ship USS Milwaukee (LCS 5) assisted by the US Coast Guard (USCG) Law Enforcement Detachment (LEDET) 402 intercepted the drug smuggling go-fast vessel (GFV).
It says the LEDET observed packages being jettisoned into the water and then gained positive control of the GFV.
After receiving permission to board the vessel, they recovered the packages weighing about 315 kilograms, and detained the five suspected traffickers.
“It is a good feeling knowing that a large number of drugs will not make it on to the streets of America or our partners in the Caribbean,” said USS Milwaukee Commanding Officer. Brian Forster.
“We are very pleased with the effectiveness of everyone’s response and the integration of all parties involved,” said Lieutenant Jordan Lachowsky, the LEDET’s officer in charge, adding “we are looking forward to more opportunities and more successes in the near future”.
The US Navy said the USS Milwaukee was deployed to the US 4th Fleet area of operations to support Joint Inter-agency Task Force South’s mission, which includes counter-illicit drug trafficking missions in the Caribbean and Eastern Pacific.
/CMC
