A Charleston based Coast Guard vessel offloaded more than $228 million worth of cocaine and marijuana at Port Everglades, Florida after the drugs were intercepted in international waters.
According to Coast Guard officials, the Coast Guard Cutter Hamilton along with three other vessels were responsible for seizing 11,500 pounds of cocaine and 17,000 pounds of marijuana in international waters of the eastern Pacific Ocean off the coasts of Mexico, Central and South America, and in the Caribbean Sea.
“We are proud to support the President’s national security strategy by keeping illegal drugs off American streets,” said Capt. Timothy Cronin, commanding officer of the Hamilton. “I am extremely proud of this crew as they sailed short-handed due to the COVID-19 pandemic and delivered tremendous results.
The Hamilton crew was responsible for nine interceptions, seizing 9,700 pounds of cocaine and 9,000 pounds of marijuana. The Hamilton is a 418-foot national security cutter homeported in Charleston.
The Coast Guard Cutter Resolute was responsible for one interception, seizing 1,100 pounds of marijuana. The USS Nitze embarked with Coast Guard Law Enforcement Detachment Team 406 was responsible for two interdictions seizing approximately 1,700 pounds of cocaine and approximately 6,100 pounds of marijuana. Continue Reading
