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Coast Guard Offloads 8,700 Pounds of Cocaine in Florida After Caribbean Interdictions

The Diligence seized the haul during a JIATF-South mission that targeted go-fast boats in international waters.

Members of the U.S. Coast Guard move the cocaine off the Cutter Midgett on Thursday. America. (Ariana Drehsler / For The San Diego Union-Tribune)
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Overview

  • Coast Guard Cutter Diligence offloaded about 8,700 pounds of cocaine at Sector St. Petersburg on Monday, a haul valued at roughly $64.5 million.
  • The cocaine was seized Sept. 6 after a maritime patrol spotted a go-fast vessel about 240 miles north of Panama, which Diligence’s boarding team interdicted at sea.
  • An Aug. 7 interdiction about 136 miles southwest of Negril, Jamaica yielded 1,500 pounds of marijuana that were transferred to Cutter Hamilton for an Aug. 25 offload described as the service’s largest.
  • Across a 57-day patrol supporting JIATF-South in the Coast Guard District Southeast area, Diligence interdicted more than 10,000 pounds of illicit narcotics.
  • The cocaine offloaded in St. Petersburg was turned over to case agents, and officials say intensified high-seas operations are aimed at disrupting narco-trafficking networks tied to fentanyl production.