The United States Coast Guard offloaded more than 12,750 pounds of cocaine and marijuana, valued at $94.5 million at Port Everglades on Tuesday, following a major Eastern Pacific operation.
Crews aboard the Coast Guard Cutter Seneca, a 270-foot medium endurance cutter homeported in Portsmouth, Virginia, seized approximately 12,750 pounds of illegal narcotics during patrols as part of Operation Pacific Viper. The operation targets transnational criminal organizations attempting to move drugs into the United States by sea.
“I’m incredibly proud of the teamwork and adaptability displayed by my crew and our partners during this patrol to stop illicit drug flow from entering the United States,” Capt. Lee Jones, commander of Coast Guard Cutter Seneca said in a statement. “Our crews sacrifice time away from their families, and when necessary, put themselves in harm’s way to secure our borders and protect the American people.”
The operation was conducted in coordination with U.S Customs and Border Protection and other federal law enforcement agencies. Officials highlight the seizures as part of an ongoing multi-agency effort to take down smuggling networks that operate across international waters.
The Coast Guard said removing the narcotics at sea also weakens the criminal organizations that profit from trafficking, limiting their ability to fund further operations.
The Cutter Seneca, commissioned in 1986, is deployed throughout the Atlantic and Caribbean to conduct counter-narcotics, search and rescue, and maritime security missions.
