3 tons of cocaine seized by Coast Guard crews unloaded in Broward
Nearly three tons of cocaine — about the same weight as an adult male giraffe — were unloaded in Port Everglades Monday, the result of several seizures in international waters off the Eastern Pacific Ocean.
The drugs, which carry a street value of nearly $155 million, according to Narcoticnews.com, were taken during interdictions by crews from the Coast Guard Cutters Escanaba and the Decisive.
“The offload today represents the combined efforts of Escanaba’s crew, and those of our partners and allies,” said Cmdr. Michael Turdo, commanding officer of the Escanaba in a news release. “Stopping the illicit flow of drugs to our shores not only keeps them off our street but also keeps money from getting to these criminal organizations.”
Coast Guard crews typically board a suspected drug vessel after it is initially tracked by military or law enforcement agencies.
The drugs will now be handed over to the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency for processing.
Carli Teproff: 305-376-3587, @CTeproff
This story was originally published August 7, 2017 at 7:12 PM with the headline "3 tons of cocaine seized by Coast Guard crews unloaded in Broward."