US Coast Guard seized over 30 tons of cocaine, and more than 30 tons marijuana
The US Coast Guard offloaded tons of illegal substances at Fort Lauderdale’s Port Everglades in South Florida on Thursday, following one of the biggest anti-drug ops undertaken by American authorities. Officials estimate that the drug’s total value is more than $1B and includes 54,500 kilos (24,720 kg) cocaine and 15,800 kilos (7,166 kg) marijuana.
The haul dropped off by the Coast Guard cutter was seized at sea during the vessel’s deployment off the coast of South America over the past several months. According to the AP news agency the majority of the drugs were reportedly from Colombia.
The vessel’s commanding officer, Captain Todd Vance said the collective operation was “This is a major blow for transnational criminal network” and the largest drug seizure for the cutter.
US Military used drones equipped with infrared cameras and powerful drones to detect and capture illicit trafficking. They also had special infrared cameras that could pick up heat from small boats containing cocaine. “It’s a very fast-paced environment, and once we get on a case and we have a go-fast that we’re going after, it’s very fast — everything happens pretty quickly,” Coast Guard Operations Specialist Chelsea Pereira, who was part of the mission, told Local 10 News in Florida.
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