The U.S. Coast Guard has recently made a significant drug seizure, retrieving over 1,500 pounds of cocaine and 1,400 pounds of marijuana during their patrol in the Caribbean Sea. According to CBS12, the drugs have a combined value of approximately $18.5 million.

The impressive haul was the result of a 54-day patrol by the USCG Cutter Vigilant, which worked in collaboration with interagency and international partners including U.S. Customs and Border Protection and the Royal Netherlands Navy. "This was another exceptional patrol highlighting the versatility of our cutter and crew conducting search and rescue, migrant interdiction, and counter-narcotic operations," Commanding Officer Jon Potterton remarked in a statement obtained by WTSP. Potterton highlighted the varied operations conducted during what was also a notably active hurricane season.

The Coast Guard's operation involved two separate interdictions in the waters of the Caribbean Sea. After the seizure, the Cutter Vigilant and its crew returned to their homeport in Cape Canaveral, Florida, laden with the illicit substances intended for what would have been volatile conveyance into communities and lives.

Additionally, the USCG took into custody 15 suspected smugglers, who are now set to face prosecution in the federal courts, as the Radio Jamaica News Online reported.