WATCH: Air and Sea U.S. Coast Guard Crews Bust Drug Smugglers With 12,000 Pounds of Cocaine

dope worth an estimated $88.2 million offloaded at Port Everglades

BREVARD COUNTY • FLORIDA — U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Escanaba’s crew offloaded approximately 11,922 pounds of cocaine worth an estimated $88.2 million at Port Everglades.

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The seized contraband was the result of three separate interdictions in the eastern Pacific by the crew of the Escanaba, Pacific Area Tactical Law Enforcement Team, and embarked Coast Guard Helicopter Interdiction Tactical Squadron aircrew.

“The professionalism and cohesiveness of our team on board were the biggest contributors to our operational successes,” said Petty Officer Third Class Nadia Sands, an Operations Specialist in the cutter’s Combat Information Center.

“This crew and command routinely embody the spirit of ‘One Team, One Dream’ and that spirit will continue to drive us to achieving our goals of protecting our borders and countering transnational criminal actors in the region.”

The following assets and crews were involved in the interdiction operations:  

● U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Escanaba (WMEC 907)

● U.S. Coast Guard Helicopter Interdiction Tactical Squadron

● U.S. Coast Guard Pacific Area Tactical Law Enforcement Team

● Joint Interagency Task Force-South (JIATF-South)

● Southwest Coast Guard District staff

Detecting and interdicting illicit drug traffickers on the high seas involves significant coordination. Joint Interagency Task Force-South conducts the detection and monitoring of aerial and maritime transit of illegal drugs.

Once an interdiction becomes imminent, the law enforcement phase of the operation begins, and control of the operation shifts to the U.S. Coast Guard for the interdiction and apprehension phases.

Members of the U.S. Coast Guard perform interdictions in the Eastern Pacific Ocean under the authority and control of the Southwest Coast Guard District, headquartered in Alameda, California.

Escanaba is a 270-foot Famous-class medium endurance cutter homeported in Portsmouth, Virginia, under U.S. Coast Guard Atlantic Area Command.

Watch the Video Here.

Make a difference on land, at sea or in the air with the Coast Guard. Visit GoCoastGuard.com to learn more about active duty and reserve, officer and enlisted opportunities.

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