Federal crews cut off a pair of suspected smuggling runs off Fort Lauderdale last week, seizing about 745 pounds of cocaine with an estimated street value of roughly $5.6 million. The operation unfolded in the approaches to Port Everglades, where Coast Guard law enforcement teams and federal partners moved in before the drugs could get anywhere near shore.
Two Smuggling Boats Stopped Near Port Everglades
According to the U.S. Coast Guard, a Station Fort Lauderdale law enforcement boat crew teamed up with a Customs and Border Protection Office of Field Operations K9 unit to intercept a suspected smuggling vessel near the Fort Lauderdale sea buoy last Monday. A second vessel was stopped on Wednesday about seven miles east of Port Everglades.
Searches of both boats turned up bundled packages that weighed in at roughly 745 pounds in total, the Coast Guard said. The drugs and the two vessels were taken into federal custody as evidence while investigators continue their follow up work.
CBS Miami aired brief footage of the interdictions, showing crews boarding the boats, securing those on board, and checking wrapped packages on deck. The video has been circulating across local outlets and tracks with the Coast Guard’s account of the bust.
Port Everglades Keeps Drawing Big Drug Busts
Port Everglades has become a familiar backdrop for major offloads in the past year, including record seizures that highlighted just how much cocaine is moving by sea toward South Florida. Federal officials say it is the combination of intelligence-driven detection and fast boarding by law enforcement teams that keeps these large shipments from filtering into street-level distribution.
“The Coast Guard is in the business of saving lives, and every kilogram of these drugs kept off our streets represents lives saved,” Lt. Justin Dadlani, commanding officer of Station Fort Lauderdale, said in a statement. He credited the professionalism of the crews on scene and the tight coordination with Customs and Border Protection and Homeland Security Investigations, according to the Coast Guard release.
Authorities have not yet released the names of any suspects or detailed potential charges. Homeland Security Investigations is expected to lead the follow up casework, Space Coast Daily reported. The Coast Guard has urged the public to keep an eye on its Southeast social media channels for photos and video from the operation as the investigation continues.
