The U.S. Coast Guard recently seized approximately 7,050 pounds of cocaine worth more than $53 million during two interdictions, one in the Caribbean and one in the Eastern Pacific Ocean. The Cutter Escanaba’s crew offloaded the contraband on Monday at Port Everglades.
“The crew’s achievements on this patrol reflect the very best of our service — courage, vigilance, and an unshakeable commitment to protecting the American people,” Cmdr. Nicholas Seniuk, Escanaba’s commanding officer, said. “Every pound of narcotics kept off our streets represents lives changed, violence prevented, and communities made safer. We couldn’t be prouder of their extraordinary work.”
Last year, the Coast Guard seized more than 511,000 pounds of cocaine, more than three times the service’s annual average.
In August, the federal government launched Operation Pacific Viper, a counter-narcotics operation in the Eastern Pacific. Since launching, the Coast Guard has apprehended 160 suspected narco-traffickers and seized more than 215,000 pounds of cocaine.
The majority of interdictions of U.S.-bound drugs, 80 percent, occur at sea. The Joint Interagency Task Force South, based in Key West, Fla., monitors and detects the aerial and maritime transit of illegal drugs. Once an interdiction becomes imminent, the U.S. Coast Guard conducts the interdiction and apprehension phases.