News Release: Coast Guard offloads approximately $15 million worth of cocaine

U.S. Coast Guard sent this bulletin at 09/27/2017 04:51 PM EDT

united states coast guard

News Release  

U.S. Coast Guard 
MIAMI 
Office: 305-415-6683
786-367-7649

U.S. Coast Guard 
PUERTO RICO
Office: 787-729-2381
787-510-7923

U.S. Coast Guard
TAMPA BAY
Office: 727-535-1437 Ext. 2142, 2143
305-965-4672

 

Coast Guard offloads approximately $15 million worth of cocaine

A Coast Guard Cutter Venturous crew member offloads a bale of marijuana at Station Fort Lauderdale, Sept. 27, 2017. A Coast Guard Cutter Venturous crew member passes a bale of marijuana to a drug enforcement agent during a drug offload at Station Fort Lauderdale, Sept. 26, 2017.

Editor's Note: Click on images to see full gallery and download high resolution versions.

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — Coast Guard Cutter Valiant crewmembers offloaded approximately 490 kilograms of cocaine worth an estimated wholesale value of approximately $15 million in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, Wednesday.

The offload is a result of interdictions from three separate cases in the Eastern Pacific in September.

"The Coast Guard is committed to combatting transnational criminal organizations at sea and each of these interdictions will lead to federal prosecutions, that in turn provide intelligence we can use to interdict more illicit shipments of drugs, people and weapons at sea," said Capt. Mark Vlaun, staff judge advocate for the Coast Guard Seventh District.  "Our whole of government efforts are targeting the financial lifeline of organized crime to ultimately cause the collapse of these illegal networks." 

The Cutter Valiant is a 210-foot Medium Endurance cutter homeported in Mayport Naval Station, Jacksonville, Florida.

 

For breaking news, follow us on Twitter @uscgsoutheast.