Cocaine with a street valued at US$186 million was seized in the Caribbean Sea and Atlantic Ocean during an operation by the US Coast Guard

Last Friday, the Coast Guard said it offloaded more than 14,153 pounds of cocaine following nine separate interdictions in international waters.

Lieutenant Peter Hutchison, Duty Enforcement Officer at Coast Guard District Seven said “The contraband offloaded represents the professional expertise and dedication of US defense and law enforcement agencies working together to combat the flow of illicit drugs through the Caribbean region into the United States,”

“This teamwork is imperative to the identification, interception, and seizure of vessels engaged in illicit trafficking and a testament to the hard work of these crews,” according to him.

The US Coast Guard said that they also apprehended 12 suspected smugglers along with the drugs. The man now faces prosecution in federal courts by the US Department of Justice

The Coast Guard said “Once interdiction becomes imminent, the law enforcement phase of the operation begins, and control of the operation shifts to the US Coast Guard throughout the interdiction and apprehension”.