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U.S. Coast Guard Offloads 20 Tonnes of Cocaine in Port Everglades

James
James' pursuit boat intercepts a low-profile go-fast boat off Ecuador (Courtesy USCG)

Published Apr 10, 2025 10:23 PM by The Maritime Executive

 

On Wednesday, the U.S. Coast Guard National Security Cutter USCGC James delivered more than 20 tonnes of cocaine to a pier in Port Everglades, Florida - nearly enough to pay for the cutter itself if the seized cargo were sold. More than half of the drugs were captured in just 72 hours in seven back-to-back intercepts.

"I could not be prouder of the James crew and the teams who embarked with us to stand the watch over the holidays to keep our border secure and keep Americans safe," said Capt. Thomas Rodzewicz, commanding officer of James. 

Almost all of the busts occurred on the high seas off Ecuador and Peru. James' embarked unmanned aerial systems crew did much of the legwork in detecting smuggling craft, many of which were found up to 300 nautical miles offshore. An embarked HITRON helicopter aircrew helped ensure the suspect vessels' compliance on multiple occasions, using "airborne use of force tactics" to make sure that the target came to a halt. (When authorized, HITRON crews may fire warning shots to deter smugglers, and can shoot out suspect boats' engines if noncompliance continues.)

The biggest bust occurred on January 6, when James was operating about 280 miles off Ecuador. The cutter intercepted a set of three go-fast vessels at once, and with help from the HITRON aircrew, James' boarding teams intercepted and captured all three boats. Nine suspects were detained, and the cutter crew seized nearly 14,000 pounds (6.3 tonnes) of cocaine.

James also worked with the smaller cutter Mohawk to interdict a fleeing go-fast vessel on January 18. Mohawk worked to recover packages that the smugglers had tossed over the side, while James' small pursuit boat chased down the suspect vessel from 60 nautical miles away. Three suspects were detained and about 6,000 pounds of cocaine were seized. 

In all, the cutter racked up nine intercept events in January and February, including a three-day run of back-to-back busts that resulted in the capture of seven vessels. 

"Over a remarkable 72-hour period, our crews interdicted six go-fast vessels and one low-profile vessel across the vast ocean, culminating in the extraordinary seizure of over 24,000 pounds of cocaine and 15 suspected narco-traffickers. We delivered a substantial blow to narco-terrorism organizations, sending those attempting to bring drugs to our border to face federal prosecution," said Capt. Rodzewicz.