The U.S. Coast Guard has made a significant narcotics seizure, offloading over 16,100 pounds of cocaine valued at approximately $182.8 million at Port Everglades. This operation was a culmination of efforts by the crew of the Coast Guard Cutter Hamilton, in conjunction with interagency and international collaborators.

According to a Local10 report, these extensive operations target illicit drug traffickers, aiming to strategically intercept them in international waters off South and Central America. Operations such as these involve deployments to the "U.S. Southern Command joint operating area," which includes the Caribbean Sea and the Eastern Pacific Ocean. These missions are crucial to denying transnational criminal organizations access to maritime trafficking routes.

Capt. Justin Carter, commanding officer of the Hamilton, expressed great pride in the team's 3-and-a-half-month deployment. "I’m proud of our accomplishments during this three-and-a-half-month deployment,” said Carter. “The exceptional crew of Hamilton, with the support of an aircrew from Coast Guard Helicopter Interdiction Squadron, demonstrated the greatest professionalism, seamanship and airmanship while executing this important and challenging mission at sea in service to nation," he told U.S. Coast Guard News.

Additionally, the operation resulted in the capture and transfer of six suspected smugglers to federal custody, where they are currently facing prosecution by the U.S. Department of Justice. The operations to detect and interdict drug traffickers are complex, often involving coordination between various agencies and nations, under the leadership of the Joint Interagency Task Force-South based in Key West. These efforts have been part of the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) Strike Force Initiatives, designed to identify, disrupt, and dismantle high-level criminal organizations threatening the United States.