Crew members from the HMCS Shawinigan, of Canada, stand at the ready before a joint news conference with the U.S. Coast Guard, Thursday, Aug. 5, 2021, at Port Everglades in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. (AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee)
The U.S. has seized thousands of pounds of illicit drugs in a massive drug bust. On Thursday, officials announced they offloaded nearly 60,000 pounds of cocaine and nearly 15,000 of marijuana at Port Everglades in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.
The crew of the Cutter James reported the value of the drugs totaled over $1.4 billion.
“Today, the crew of James will offload 26 metric tons of cocaine and marijuana interdicted by multiple Coast Guard units, CBP air assets and Canadian partners,” Coast Guard Cpt. Todd Vance announced. “With a wholesale street value of over one billion dollars, which is the largest offload in James’s operational history.”
#BREAKING @USCG Cutter James' crew offloaded approximately 59,700lbs of cocaine and 1,430lbs of marijuana worth more than $1.4 billion, Thurs., @PortEverglades, the largest offload in #CoastGuard history.#Partnerships @Southcom @RoyalCanNavy
Read more: https://t.co/8QaTcIUtv2 pic.twitter.com/O5SZWVQOOQ
— USCGSoutheast (@USCGSoutheast) August 6, 2021
The U.S. Coast Guard said the bust took months of meticulous planning as it has been constantly fighting against international drug conglomerates.
“Interdicting these drugs helps bring hope, stability and economic prosperity to the western hemisphere,” expressed Vice Admiral Steven Poulin of the Coast Guard. “…Together, we will disrupt, defeat and degrade transnational organized crime.”
According to the Coast Guard, this was the largest offload in its history.
Source: One America News Network
