The U.S. Coast Guard, British Royal Navy and U.S. law enforcement partners seized 1,500 pounds of cocaine, a go-fast vessel and detained three suspected smugglers, during an at-sea interdiction Aug. 16 in the Caribbean Sea.
The U.S. Coast Guard, British Royal Navy and U.S. law enforcement partners seized 1,500 pounds of cocaine, a go-fast vessel and detained three suspected smugglers, during an at-sea interdiction Aug. 16 in the Caribbean Sea.
The drug shipment is estimated to have a wholesale value of more than $24 million. The interdiction was a result of an international, multi-agency law enforcement effort in support of Operation Unified Resolve, Operation Caribbean Guard, Operation Martillo (a joint, interagency, 15-nation collaborative counter narcotic effort), and the Caribbean Corridor Strike Force (CCSF).
“Our collective aggressive efforts involving international, federal and local enforcement authorities continue to yield positive results,” said Rear Adm. Jake Korn, commander of the Coast Guard Seventh District.
Joint Interagency Task Force South relayed to Coast Guard Seventh District and Coast Guard Sector San Juan Command Center watchstanders that the crew of a patrolling U.S. Customs and Border Protection P-3 fixed-wing marine surveillance aircraft detected a suspicious 30-foot go-fast vessel Aug. 16. The vessel was spotted carrying three suspected smugglers, who were using a tarp to conceal their position.