Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem announced on Thursday that the United States Coast Guard was offloading 45,000 pounds of cocaine and 50 pounds of marijuana valued at over $500 million.
Announcing the Coast Guard’s seizure of 45,000 pounds of illegal drugs off the coasts of Mexico, Central America, and South America during an appearance at Port Everglades, Florida, on Thursday, Noem said, “Today is a historic day. Here at Port Everglades, over 22.5 tons or 45,000 pounds of cocaine and 50 pounds of marijuana — are valued at over a half a billion dollars — are going to be offloaded and taken out of circulation.”
Noem described the Coast Guard operation as an “unprecedented seizure of illicit drugs” that involved 14 interdictions of drug smuggling vessels by the crews of the Coast Guard Cutter Mohawk and the Coast Guard Cutter Stone. The secretary of Homeland Security explained that the Coast Guard cutters worked alongside multiple law enforcement agencies and helicopter tactical squadron air crews to complete the interdictions.
Highlighting the Department of Homeland Security’s efforts under the Trump administration, Noem said, “In the first 100 days of President Trump’s administration, he’s already delivered on his campaign promises of making America safe again and helping the American people to be more secure as well.”
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Noem noted that the Coast Guard’s seizure and offloading of 45,000 pounds of cocaine marked a “milestone” in Trump’s mission to protect U.S. borders, secure American communities, and stop illegal drugs from being smuggled into the country.
Highlighting the recent efforts of the Coast Guard, Noem said, “The brave men and women of the Coast Guard do work every single day, 24/7, and they do it with excellence. Their dedication, their resilience, and their patriotism is something that we all can admire and does not go unnoticed.”
As a result of the Coast Guard’s recent operations, Noem said $517 million worth of illegal drugs “will never reach American communities.”
Noem added, “That means that fewer families are going to be torn apart by addiction, that fewer lives are going to be lost to overdoses, that communities will be safer, and fewer resources will be at the hands of dangerous, violent cartels that seek to do all of us harm.”