Coast Guard Offloads $228 Million In Cocaine, Marijuana At Port Everglades
FORT LAUDERDALE (CBSMiami) -- The U.S. Coast Guard made a massive drug drop off at Port Everglades Thursday morning.
The Cutter Hamilton offloaded 11,500 pounds of cocaine and 17,000 pounds of marijuana, which combined, is worth more than $228 million.
"Every kilogram of cocaine, every pound of marijuana, represents a life saved, a crime prevented, and a loss of revenue for the drug cartels," said Commanding Officer, Captain Timothy Cronin.
The drugs were seized at sea from multiple Eastern Pacific and Caribbean Sea interdictions. The Coast Guard Crew onboard the Cutter Hamilton worked with the U.S. Navy, U.S. Air Force, and U.S. Customs and Border Protection to stop the more than 28,000 pounds of drugs before they could potentially make their way to the United States.
"When it comes to destroying drug cartels, the Coast Guard is a vital member of our team," said U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Florida, Ariana Fajardo Orshan.
The Coast Guard announced Thursday, 28 people were detained and now face a range of charges including drug trafficking.
"These drugs will not be adding to the devastating effects of drug-related crime and deaths," said Rear Admiral Andrew Tiongson, the director of Operations for the U.S. Southern Command.
