Federal agents hauled in about 900 pounds of cocaine, worth an estimated $6.7 million, after stopping a suspected smuggling boat roughly 1 mile east of Cape Florida on Sunday. The interdiction unfolded off Key Biscayne when a Coast Guard crew pulled alongside a suspicious vessel and moved in, ultimately seizing the drugs and detaining three people. The Drug Enforcement Administration's Miami Division has taken custody of both the suspects and the narcotics while the case moves forward.
According to a U.S. Coast Guard news release, the stop was carried out by a U.S. Coast Guard Station Miami Beach law enforcement boat crew working with U.S. Customs and Border Protection Air and Marine Operations and CBP Office of Field Operations. "The Coast Guard and our federal, state and local law enforcement partners remain vigilant in our shared efforts to keep our maritime borders safe by preventing illicit narcotics from reaching our communities," Lt. Matthew Ross, Coast Guard Station Miami Beach commanding officer, said in the statement.
Stop off Cape Florida
As reported by Local 10, the Coast Guard pegged the cocaine’s value at about $6.7 million. Federal agents with the Drug Enforcement Administration's Miami Division took custody of the three suspected smugglers and the seized load for further investigation. Authorities have not released the names of the individuals or any formal charges.
Part of a busy spring for maritime seizures
The Cape Florida bust lands in the middle of an already busy stretch for Coast Guard counter-narcotics work in South Florida. In late April, Coast Guard crews offloaded roughly 7,050 pounds of cocaine at Port Everglades after a series of separate interdictions, according to a U.S. Coast Guard press release. Officials say these busts are part of larger, multi-agency efforts to disrupt transnational criminal organizations that rely on maritime routes to push bulk narcotics toward South Florida.
What’s next
Authorities say the investigation is still active and that evidence from the Sunday stop will be processed by federal partners. Prosecutors could seek federal drug-trafficking charges once the case is referred to the U.S. Attorney’s Office. Local boaters and residents near Key Biscayne were not reported to be affected, and agencies again urged the public to report any suspicious activity on the water to law enforcement.
