Authorities said the haul, the result of 14 interdictions in the Eastern Pacific Ocean by the crews of U.S. Coast Guard cutters Stone and Mohawk, has a value of more than $517.5 million. NBC6’s Steve Litz reports.
The U.S. Coast Guard is offloading more than 45,600 pounds of seized drugs at Port Everglades on Thursday.
Authorities said the haul, the result of 14 interdictions in the Eastern Pacific Ocean by the crews of U.S. Coast Guard cutters Stone and Mohawk, has a value of more than $517.5 million.
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WATCH HEREThe drugs, mostly cocaine and some marijuana, weigh a whopping 45,600 pounds, nearly 23 tons, officials said.
Chopper6 captured video of the ship and the pallets with drugs in black bags wrapped in plastic.
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Around 35 suspected drug traffickers were taken into custody during the operations, officials said.
Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem was at Port Everglades to discuss the drug offload.
"This is an unprecedented seizure of illicit drugs," Noem said. "Thanks to the Coast Guard's relentless maritime security and their interdiction efforts, $517 million worth of illegal drugs will never reach American communities."
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Lt. Junior Grade Ethan Di Egidio, a boarding team member and Spanish interpreter on the Stone, said many of the drugs were seized during a four-month deployment.
"I'm pretty proud of the work that we've done and I think this looks great for Stone's crew and all of our hard work," he said.
This is a developing story. Refresh for updates.
