The Coast Guard issues images after the crew grabs $ 91 million in drugs at sea

A crew of the United States Coast Guard completed a two -month -old anti -drug trafficking operation that resulted in large narcotics seizures and the arrests of dozens of alleged smugglers at sea, the agency saying.

The Coast Guard Campbell returned to his port on Monday in Newport, Rhode Island, after a patrol mission through the Caribbean and the Eastern Pacific Ocean that lasted 63 days. The main objective of the crew was to intercept illegal drug activities in known trafficking areas, a mission that finally led them to confiscate approximately 8,061 pounds of cocaine, the Coast Guard said.

These drugs have an estimated street value of approximately $ 91 million, according to the agency. The images released by the Coast Guard show cocaine packages seized on board the cutter in a large battery.

The crew members also arrested and arrested 49 alleged drug smuggers allegedly involved in illegal high -sea traffic. The Coast Guard said that 26 suspects were finally delivered to US authorities in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, at the end of January, when the Campbell Cutter downloaded the sets of drugs seized in Port Everglades.

The suspects will now be federally prosecuted by the Department of Justice, according to the Coast Guard.

“I am incredibly proud of Campbell’s crew,” said CMDR. Jonathan Harris, the officer in command of the ship, in a statement. “We overcome many obstacles to maintain vigilant surveillance of our loved ones during the holiday season and work tirelessly to prevent transnational criminal organizations from damaging our communities by confiscating tons of narcotics that will no longer cross our maritime borders. More important, what We contribute, we contribute the justice cycle by ensuring that dozens of alleged drug traffickers will be judged in the United States. ”

Campbell’s crew was deployed to support the military’s joint interagential task force, a coordinated effort between multiple US agencies and other nations to address the illicit drug trafficking in certain areas. The Coast Guard said that the organization aims to “dismantle transnational criminal organizations while reducing drug flow to the public.”

In addition to carrying out its main mission, the Campbell crew also gave attention to two survivors of a search and rescue operation during their time in the Caribbean and the Eastern Pacific, the Coast Guard said. The agency did not share details about the rescue.