The U.S. Coast Guard will be offloading a large amount of cocaine seized in international waters over a 26-day period.
The agency plans a 10 a.m. news conference at Fort Lauderdale's Port Everglades to discuss the interdiction of approximately 16 tons (14.51 metric tons) of cocaine.
The drugs have a wholesale value of $420 million.In a news release, the agency says the drugs were seized along Central and South America by Coast Guard and Canadian ships sailing with an embarked Coast Guard Law Enforcement Detachment team.
It consisted of 17 separate suspected drug smuggling vessel interdictions.
Below, Coast Guard Cutter James and Helicopter Interdiction Tactical Squadron interdict suspected drug smuggling vessel. Video credit: http://www.dividshub.net
Numerous agencies from the Departments of Defense, Justice and Homeland Security are involved in the effort to mitigate transnational, organized crime. The Coast Guard, Navy, Customs and Border Protection, FBI, Drug Enforcement Agency, and Immigration and Customs Enforcement along with allied and international partner agencies play a role in counter-drug operations.
The fight against transnational organized crime networks in the Eastern Pacific requires unity of effort in all phases from detection, monitoring and interdiction, to prosecutions by U.S. Attorneys in California, on the East Coast and in the Caribbean.
WIOD was live with U.S. Coast Guard USCGC James is in Port Everglades Tuesday to discuss the offloading of more than 16 tons of narcotics intercepted during its recent two month deployment:
Additional images from Tuesday are seen below:
1 of 3 2 of 3 3 of 3