FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – The U.S. Coast Guard offloaded about 11,500 pounds of cocaine and 17,000 pounds of marijuana Thursday morning at Port Everglades.
The drugs have a street value of about $228 million in total, authorities said.
Sky 10 was above the port as the Coast Guard Cutter Hamilton offloaded the drugs that had been seized during multiple interdictions in the Eastern Pacific and Caribbean Sea.
“The drugs you see here today and the 28 suspected traffickers handed over to federal authorities yesterday represent the combined efforts of one team,” said Capt. Timothy Cronin, Commanding Officer of the Coast Guard Cutter Hamilton.
The team is also made up of members of the Department of Homeland Security, the Department of Defense and the Department of Justice, as well as other federal agencies.
“One word describes the work of the Coast Guard throughout this year -- it is extraordinary,” said U.S. Attorney Ariana Fajardo Orshan, of the Southern District of Florida.
Through unspecified cartels, the Coast Guard reports the drugs were headed for Central America and ultimately aimed for the U.S.
“Every kilogram of cocaine, every pound of marijuana you see here today represents a life saved, a crime prevented and a loss of revenue for the drug cartels,” Cronin said.