The U.S. Coast Guard has seized more than five tons of narcotics, including 8,700 pounds of cocaine valued at approximately $64.5 million, in the Caribbean Sea. This operation was conducted by the crew of the Coast Guard Cutter Diligence, a 210-foot vessel that focuses on counter-drug missions, alien interdiction, and search and rescue operations.

The seizures occurred during two significant interdictions in August and September in international waters. On August 7, the Diligence crew detected a suspicious vessel traveling rapidly about 136 miles southwest of Negril, Jamaica. The boarding team successfully interdicted the vessel and confiscated 1,500 pounds of marijuana. This contraband was later transferred to the Coast Guard Cutter Hamilton and offloaded in Port Everglades on August 25, marking a record for the largest quantity of drugs offloaded in Coast Guard history.

Nearly a month later, on September 6, a maritime patrol craft identified another fast-moving vessel approximately 240 miles north of Panama. The Diligence crew boarded this vessel and seized over 8,700 pounds of cocaine. The cocaine was subsequently offloaded and handed over to case agents in St. Petersburg.

Cmdr. Colin McKee, the commanding officer of Diligence, expressed pride in his crew's efforts, stating, "I am remarkably proud of the crew and appreciative of the efforts of JIATF-S and Coast Guard District Southeast. This joint effort helped us prevent more than four tons of illegal drugs from entering the United States."

He emphasized that this operation is part of the Coast Guard's ongoing commitment to combat narco-terrorism. "While this offload marks another milestone in our efforts to counter narco-terrorism, the Coast Guard remains relentless in our operations to control, secure, and defend U.S. borders and maritime approaches," McKee added.

Coast Guard officials noted that they are increasing operations to disrupt the transshipment of cocaine and other illicit drugs by sea. They highlighted that these drugs contribute to the activities of foreign terrorist organizations and transnational criminal groups, which produce and traffic illegal fentanyl, posing a threat to the United States.

The Coast Guard stated that detecting and interdicting narco-terrorism on the high seas requires extensive interagency and international coordination, as 80% of drugs bound for the U.S. are intercepted in these waters. Interdictions in the Caribbean Sea are conducted by the U.S. Coast Guard under the authority of Coast Guard District Southeast, based in Miami.