The crew of the U.S. Coast Guard Cutter James offloaded some 16 tons of cocaine worth an estimated $420 million on Tuesday in Port Everglades.
The cocaine was seized by U.S. and Canadian ships with an embarked Coast Guard Law Enforcement Detachment (LEDET) team during a 26-day period in international waters off the Eastern Pacific Ocean.
Coast Guard cutters James, Mohawk, Sherman were responsible for 16 cases, while HMCS Saskatoon and Coast Guard LEDET 405 were responsible for one case, seizing an estimated 1 ton of cocaine.
Numerous U.S. agencies from the Departments of Defense, Justice and Homeland Security are involved in the effort to combat 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.
“I am extremely proud of the crew of Coast Guard Cutter James and our embarked HITRON (Helicopter Interdiction Tactical Squadron) aviation detachment for a highly successful inaugural patrol,” said Vice Adm. Karl Schultz , commander of Coast Guard Atlantic Area.