U.S. Coast Guard Offloads $60 Million Worth of Cocaine in Port Everglades

A boarding team from the cutter USCGC Bear detains two suspects in the Eastern Pacific (USCG)

The crew of the U.S. Coast Guard cutter Bear has offloaded four tonnes of cocaine and a small cargo of marijuana onto the pier at Port Everglades, Florida, the result of three separate interdictions in the Eastern Pacific earlier this month.

On June 11, the crew of the Bear detected a go-fast vessel and dispatched their embarked Helicopter Interdiction Tactical Squadron (HITRON) aircrew. The crew intercepted the vessel, caused it to come to a halt with airborne use-of-force tactics, and seized about two tonnes of marijuana on board.

The next day, Bear spotted two more go-fast vessels and again dispatched the HITRON aircrew to intercept. Both were brought to a halt, and the boarding teams seized a combined 7,660 pounds of cocaine from both boats.

The day after that, Bear's crew found a floating bale unaccompanied in the Eastern Pacific, which they found to contain about 60 pounds of cocaine.

"The success of these interdictions reflects the strength of our partnerships and the persistence of our crews," said Cmdr. Jorell Webb, commanding officer of Coast Guard Cutter Bear. "Our success required the integration of thoughtful training, carefully planned logistics, and joint coordination. We are very proud of our efforts to prevent illicit networks from threatening our security."

The HITRON aircrew now deploys with a black insignia on the tailfin of their helicopter, a form of recognition of the squadron's exceptional performance over the year to date. HITRON teams have seized three times their annual average quantity of cocaine, reflecting their proficiency, the Coast Guard's heightened presence off Latin America, and the surge in cocaine production and export volume in Colombia.