US Coast Guard seized more than 14,000 pounds of cocaine, apprehended 12 suspected smugglers
The U.S. The Coast Guard (USCG) has intercepted 14,000 pounds of cocaine worth more than $186 million in multiple seizures in international waters, the agency said Saturday.
Coast Guard crews offloaded illegal drugs in Miami on Friday following nine separate seizures in the Atlantic Ocean and Caribbean Sea, the Coast Guard said in a news release.
Multiple USCG personnel and U.S. Customs and Border Protection, Air and Marine Operations aircrews intercepted the suspected smugglers.
Officials said 12 suspected smugglers were also taken into custody and face federal prosecution.
“The contraband offloaded today represents the professionalism and dedication of US defense and law enforcement agencies working together to combat the flow of illegal narcotics into the United States through the Caribbean region,” said Lt. Peter Hutchison, duty enforcement officer, Coast Guard District. Seven, the release said. “This teamwork is essential in identifying, interdicting, and seizing vessels engaged in smuggling and is a testament to the hard work of these crews.”
Details about the suspects, where the drugs came from, and where they were going were not immediately available.
According to a March report released by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, the production and demand for cocaine has increased worldwide in the past two years. The report found that an increase in supply followed an initial slowdown caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Globally, law enforcement interceptions of cocaine shipments also hit a record of nearly 2,000 tons in 2021.