Coast Guard officials intercepted a stunning amount of drugs intended for U.S. residents Thursday in Port Everglades in South Florida. The crew of the USCG Cutter James offloaded an estimated $448 million worth of illicit cargo from the vessels.
Several agencies were involved in 13 separate incidents in which drugs were seized in international waters. The sweeping effort stretched from the eastern Pacific Ocean to the Caribbean.
Vice Admiral Kevin Lunday of the Coast Guard said in a statement that the interagency haul of over 20 metric tons was a national security concern.
The crew of US Coast Guard Cutter James (WMSL 754) offload $445 million worth of drugs at Port Everglades, FL today. pic.twitter.com/K6J3zDsB7U
— TheIntelFrog (@TheIntelFrog) October 26, 2023
According to a Coast Guard press release, the crew confiscated over 33,200 pounds of cocaine and 12,400 pounds of marijuana.
Lunday explained, “It represents one part of a very large and strong interagency team that works closely with our allies and international partners to interdict maritime smuggling of dangerous and illegal drugs into the United States.”
Capt. Donald Terkanian of the James said his crew “worked around the clock” for over nearly four months to make the massive bust possible. He cited the continuous efforts of several partners in stopping the narcotics from hitting U.S. streets.
They included the Departments of Defense, Homeland Security and Justice.
Also assisting the operation were the FBI, the Navy, Drug Enforcement Administration, Immigration and Customs Enforcement and the military.
This haul is hardly a first for USCG Cutter James. In Feb. 2022, the crew pulled in a record-setting seizure that was also interdicted at Port Everglades.
That take totalled approximately $1.06 billion.
While last week’s bust was a great accomplishment and undoubtedly the result of much work, so much more needs to be done to secure the nation. As the raging fentanyl epidemic proves, there are tons more pouring in than is being intercepted.
Particularly along Biden’s wide-open southern border.
Few taxpayers would begrudge the outlay — whatever it would be — necessary to secure the nation from deadly drug cartels to our south. Former President Donald Trump was right, the first job of the federal government is the security of the nation.
All else follows.
