US Coast Guard offloads seven tonnes of seized cocaine

The US Coast Guard Cutter Hamilton has offloaded seven tonnes of cocaine worth an estimated US$190 million at Port Everglades, Florida.

The drugs were interdicted in seven separate seizures off the coasts of Mexico, Central and South America.

The cutter Hamilton was responsible for two cases, seizing an estimated 1,931 kilograms of cocaine. Other seizures included the Coast Guard Cutter Northland (two cases, 2,871kg), Coast Guard Cutter Diligence (960kg), Coast Guard Cutter Venturous (601kg) and Coast Guard Cutter Harriet Lane (2kg).

During at-sea interdictions in international waters, a suspect vessel is initially located and tracked by allied, military or law enforcement personnel. The interdictions, including the actual boarding, are led and conducted by US Coast Guardsmen.

The law enforcement phase of counter-smuggling operations in the Eastern Pacific are conducted under the authority of the Coast Guard 11th District headquartered in Alameda, California.

The cutter Hamilton is a 127-metre national security cutter homeported in Charleston, South Carolina.