Following two successful interdictions in the Caribbean Sea, the U.S. Coast Guard offloaded a massive quantity of cocaine on Tuesday.
A press release states that 2,450 pounds of cocaine were offloaded in Miami by Coast Guard Cutter Margaret Norvell. The bundles of cocaine were found in two interdictions carried out in cooperation with Joint Interagency Task Force South, USCG Cutter Richard Dixon, and USCG Cutter Dauntless.
The U.S. Coast Guard estimates that the cocaine was worth $32.2 million in total. 6 alleged smugglers have been arrested and will face prosecution at the federal level.
“Thanks to the tremendous efforts of the Coast Guard crews and agency partners involved with this interdiction, Coast Guard Cutter Margaret Norvell brought these suspected smugglers and illicit contraband ashore for prosecution,” said Lt. Cmdr. Colin Weaver, Commanding Officer.
“Coast Guard crews continue to deliver on our important missions of homeland and maritime security to save lives and thwart transnational criminal organizations operating in the Caribbean,” he added.
The drug bust is significant and indicates the rising use of cocaine in the country.