Coast Guard Offloads $12.3 Million In cocaine And Marijuana To Close Out Fleet Week Fort Lauderdale

Fleet Week Fort Lauderdale ended with the crew of the U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Tampa offloading approximately 3,750 pounds of cocaine and marijuana at Florida’s Port Everglades on Wednesday.

The drugs were seized during two separate interdictions in the Caribbean Sea by the crew of the U.S. Navy’s USS Minneapolis-Saint Paul and their embarked Coast Guard law enforcement detachment, the Coast Guard said. The seized contraband was valued at an estimated $12.3 million.

“We train diligently and stand ready to execute interdiction missions at moments notice,” Cmdr. Steven Fresse, Minneapolis-Saint Paul commanding officer, said in a statement. “To be able to make an immediate impact so early on during our maiden deployment is a testament to the hard work and skills of the ships crew.”

The interdictions were carried out by the Minneapolis-Saint Paul with assistance from the U.S. Coast Guard Tactical Law Enforcement Team South, U.S. Navy Helicopter Maritime Strike Squadron 50, and the Joint Interagency Task Force-South.

“Fleet Week Fort Lauderdale was a great opportunity for our Coast Guard, Navy and Marine Corps crews to showcase our sea services to communities here in South Florida,” said Cmdr. Walter Krolman, Tampa commanding officer. “Todays offload demonstrates the value of our collaborative joint force operations far out to sea in protecting and defending Americans here at home from threats abroad.”

The U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Tampa is homeported in Portsmouth, Va.