Photo courtesy of United States Coast Guard

MIAMI – The U.S. Coast Guard in Miami offloaded about 5,300 pounds of cocaine and marijuana worth an estimated street value $14.1 million after four interdictions in the Caribbean Sea.

According to a press release, the Coast Guard seized the contraband on May 2 in an effort to detect and interdict illicit drug traffickers on the high seas that involves significant interagency and international coordination.

Joint Interagency Task Force-South, in Key West, conducts the detection and monitoring of aerial and maritime transit of illegal drugs.
“Stopping harmful and illicit narcotics from reaching our shores and entering our communities is a team effort,” said Cmdr. Karen Kutkiewicz, Venturous’ commanding officer. “It takes the combined efforts of our joint force DoD, DHS, and international partners to combat transnational criminal organizations.”

The contraband was seized during a series of operations using crew members aboard the USCGC Venturous, a 210-foot Reliance-class medium endurance cutter homeported in St. Petersburg under U.S. Coast Guard Atlantic Area Command.