A Trump administration initiative to stop drug smugglers moving narcotics from South and Central America into the United States resulted in more than $1 billion worth of drugs seized in the Caribbean and the eastern Pacific.
Acting Homeland Security Secretary Chad Wolf announced Tuesday that Coast Guard and Navy ships deployed 1,500 miles south of the U.S. since April have stopped more than 94,000 pounds of cocaine and 9,200 pounds of marijuana from smugglers attempting to run the loads from South America through Central America and Mexico. Cocaine seizures were up 8% compared to the same time last year.
On April 1, President Trump announced a stepped-up effort by federal agencies to go after drug smugglers moving cocaine, which is largely grown in Colombia, to the U.S. The U.S. works with governments in partner countries to maintain a presence in international waters and to make seizures when intelligence gatherers notify ships of suspicious boaters.
“The fact that all of this was done in the span of two months within the COVID-19 environment is nothing short of remarkable,” Wolf said during a press conference at Port Everglades in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, Tuesday morning. “As DHS continues to support the federal response to COVID-19 pandemic, we’ve also kept our eye on our traditional adversaries, including the persistent threat posed by transnational criminal organizations.”
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The counternarcotics operation works 1,500 miles south of the southern border to stop larger loads of illegal or regulated drugs, which prevents them from being smuggled into the country from closer to the border in smaller loads that are more difficult to intercept, Wolf said.
Officials from the Drug Enforcement Administration, U.S. Southern Command, and the Coast Guard stood by Wolf on Tuesday as the Coast Guard cutter James offloaded 23,000 pounds of cocaine and 6,900 pounds of marijuana seized at sea as part of 11 busts made by its crew and other Coast Guard and Navy ships since April.
“I couldn’t be more proud of my crew today deploying at the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic. They overcame many challenges related to the pandemic, including encountering drug smugglers with COVID symptoms at sea to deliver results,” said Capt. Jeffrey Randall, commanding officer of the cutter James.
The seized drugs, if not dumped overboard by smugglers before being encountered by U.S. officials, are transferred to the DEA, and suspected drug runners are referred for prosecution on federal charges. Since April 1, 137 suspected drug smugglers have been detained.
