Coast Guard offloads $20 million in cocaine, marijuana in Miami Beach
The U.S. Coast Guard announced the offloading of approximately 2,220 pounds of cocaine and 3,320 pounds of marijuana, valued at $20.1 million, Wednesday at Coast Guard Base Miami Beach.
The drugs, offloaded by the crew of the U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Northland, were seized in four interdictions by crews from the Royal Canadian Navy's HMCS William Hall and the Royal Netherlands Navy's HNLMS Friesland, supported by Coast Guard law enforcement detachments, officials said.
"Stopping harmful and illicit narcotics from reaching our shores and entering our communities is a team effort," said Cmdr. Brian Gismervik, commanding officer of the Northland. "In the dynamic maritime environment, it takes the combined efforts of our joint force DoD, DHS, and international partners to combat transnational criminal organizations."
South Florida serves as a key hub for these efforts, with the Joint Interagency Task Force-South in Key West coordinating detection and monitoring of illegal drug transit.
Officials said interdictions in the Caribbean are performed by members of the U.S. Coast Guard under the authority and control of the Seventh Coast Guard District, headquartered in Miami.
The Northland, a 270-foot Reliance-class cutter homeported in Portsmouth, Virginia, under the Coast Guard Atlantic Area Command, delivered the seized contraband to Miami Beach for processing.
