Port Everglades, Florida — The United States Coast Guard announced on Wednesday that it had offloaded approximately 3,750 pounds of cocaine and marijuana at Port Everglades, seized during recent operations in the Caribbean Sea. The contraband, valued at an estimated US$12.3 million, was the result of two successful interdictions carried out by the crew of the USS Minneapolis-Saint Paul, in collaboration with an embarked Navy helicopter and Coast Guard law enforcement detachments.
According to officials, the operation highlights the effectiveness of joint maritime enforcement efforts in combating narcotics trafficking across international waters.
“We train diligently and stand ready to execute interdiction missions at a moment’s notice,” said Commander Steven Fresse, commanding officer of the Minneapolis-Saint Paul. “To be able to make an immediate impact so early on during our maiden deployment is a testament to the hard work and skills of the ship’s crew.”
The interdicted drugs were offloaded by the crew of the Coast Guard Cutter Tampa, which is currently participating in Fleet Week Fort Lauderdale. Commander Walter Krolman, Tampa’s commanding officer, praised the operation as an example of effective collaboration between U.S. maritime forces.
“Today’s offload demonstrates the value of our collaborative joint force operations far out to sea in protecting and defending Americans here at home from threats abroad,” Krolman said. He also noted that Fleet Week was “a great opportunity for our Coast Guard, Navy and Marine Corps crews to showcase our sea services to communities here in South Florida.”
The Coast Guard emphasized that detecting and interdicting drug traffickers on the high seas involves complex coordination among U.S. agencies and international partners. Detection and monitoring are primarily handled by the Joint Interagency Task Force-South, based in Key West, Florida. Once interdiction is imminent, control shifts to the Coast Guard, operating under the authority of the Seventh Coast Guard District headquartered in Miami.
The offload marks another significant milestone in ongoing U.S. efforts to disrupt transnational criminal networks operating in the Caribbean region.
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