MIAMI — The U.S. Coast Guard interdicted a suspected drug smuggling boat off the coast of Miami last weekend and seized about $1.3 million worth of narcotics, the agency announced Friday in a press release.
According to Coast Guard officials, the boat was interdicted at about 2:15 p.m. Saturday, about 8 miles off the coast of Miami.
“During the boarding, the joint law enforcement crew found approximately 17 pounds of marijuana and 174 pounds of cocaine, later confirmed through laboratory testing, worth an estimated $1.3 million,” the press release stated.
Officials said two suspected smugglers were taken into custody by Homeland Security Investigations. While they didn’t identify the suspects in the press release, Local 10 reported earlier this week on the arrests of two Jamaican nationals who were accused of trafficking cocaine and marijuana from the island.
“Our crew is committed to keeping drugs off the streets and protecting America’s borders,” said Lt. Zane Carter, commanding officer, Coast Guard Cutter Richard Etheridge. “I could not be prouder of my crew’s professionalism and their seamless integration with our partner agencies.”
Those involved in the interdiction at sea included:
- Coast Guard Southeast District
- Coast Guard Sector Miami
- Coast Guard Cutter Richard Etheridge
- Coast Guard Investigative Service
- Homeland Security Investigations
- Customs and Border Protection Office of Field Operations K9 unit
- Customs and Border Protection Air and Marine Operations
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