US Coast Guard offloads $138 million in seized drugs following Caribbean interdictions
Key Points(3)
- Coast Guard crews and international partners, including the U.S.
- Navy, Royal Canadian Navy, and Royal Netherlands Navy.</p> <p data-start="905" data-end="1189">“I am incredibly proud of our <em data-start="935" data-end="944">Valiant</em> team and how they exemplify American values,” said Cmdr.
- Matthew Press, commanding officer of the <em data-start="1043" data-end="1052">Valiant</em>.
In a major blow to transnational drug trafficking networks, the U.S. Coast Guard offloaded more than $138 million worth of cocaine and marijuana at two South Florida ports last week, following six interdictions across the Caribbean Sea.
On Friday, the crew of the Coast Guard Cutter Valiant arrived at Port Everglades with a haul of 17,450 pounds of cocaine and 2,585 pounds of marijuana, valued at an estimated $132 million. A day earlier, the crew of Cutter Vigorous offloaded roughly 840 pounds of cocaine, worth about $6.2 million, at Coast Guard Base Miami Beach.
The seizures resulted from a series of coordinated operations between May 19 and May 31 involving U.S. Coast Guard crews and international partners, including the U.S. Navy, Royal Canadian Navy, and Royal Netherlands Navy.
“I am incredibly proud of our Valiant team and how they exemplify American values,” said Cmdr. Matthew Press, commanding officer of the Valiant. “Collaborating with our multinational partners, we’ve disrupted transnational criminal organizations and made the world a safer place.”
The interdictions included:
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May 19: A vessel spotted 85 miles north of Aruba led to the seizure of 2,645 pounds of cocaine by Valiant.
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May 22: A second interdiction, 170 miles north of Aruba, resulted in 7,750 pounds of cocaine seized.
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May 25: USS Gravely, working with a Coast Guard Law Enforcement Detachment (LEDET 401), intercepted a vessel 290 miles south of the Dominican Republic, seizing 840 pounds of cocaine, later transferred to Vigorous.
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May 29: Two operations—one by HMCS William Hall with LEDET 103, south of the Dominican Republic (750 pounds of cocaine), and another by HNLMS Friesland with LEDET 404, near Venezuela (4,050 pounds of cocaine and 2,585 pounds of marijuana).
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May 31: A final seizure of 2,250 pounds of cocaine took place 185 miles north of Colombia, again involving William Hall and LEDET 103.
The operations were coordinated through the Joint Interagency Task Force-South (JIATF-S) in Key West, Florida, with key support from U.S. Coast Guard Tactical Law Enforcement Teams and the Seventh Coast Guard District in Miami, which oversees Caribbean interdiction missions.
Officials emphasized that intercepting illegal drug shipments at sea is a complex operation requiring robust interagency and international cooperation.
“These interdictions relate to Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces’ Strike Force initiatives and designated investigations,” the Coast Guard said in a statement.
