17,000 Pounds Of Cocaine, Marijuana Worth $236M Offloaded In Port Everglades

PORT EVERGLADES (CBSMiami) – More than 17,000 pounds of illegal drugs was offloaded at Port Everglades on Wednesday by the U.S. Coast Guard.

The crew of the U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Vigilant unloaded an estimated $236 million worth of cocaine and marijuana following a 45-day patrol in the Eastern Pacific Ocean.

The drugs, which include nearly 12,000 pounds of cocaine and more than 5,000 pounds of marijuana, were seized during five interdictions conducted by crews of the Vigilant, the Cutter Tampa, and the Royal Canadian Navy's HMCS Harry Dewolf,  in international waters off the coasts of Mexico, Central and South America.

Numerous U.S. and partner nation agencies cooperate to combat transnational organized crime.

"The successful interdiction of over 17,000 pounds of illegal narcotics and the apprehension of 17 suspected traffickers are the result of tremendous teamwork," said Cmdr. Jay Guyer, commanding officer of the Vigilant. "We are thankful for coordinated efforts across the U.S. Coast Guard, the Department of Defense, Customs and Border Protection, as well as our international partners from Canada and throughout Central and South America."