Coast Guard releases images after crew seizes $91 million in drugs at sea

A U.S. Coast Guard crew completed a two-month anti-drug trafficking operation this week that resulted in huge narcotics seizures and the arrests of dozens of suspected smugglers at sea, the agency said.

The Coast Guard cutter Campbell returned to its port on Monday in Newport, Rhode Island, after a patrol mission through the Caribbean and Eastern Pacific Ocean that lasted 63 days. The crew’s primary goal was to intercept illegal drug activities in known trafficking zones, a mission that ultimately led them to seize roughly 8,061 pounds of cocaine, the Coast Guard said.

Those drugs have an estimated street value of about $91 million, according to the agency. Images released by the Coast Guard show packages of seized cocaine stacked on board the cutter in a large pile.

Crew members also arrested and detained 49 suspected drug smugglers allegedly involved in illegal trafficking on the high seas. The Coast Guard said 26 suspects were eventually turned over to U.S. authorities in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, at the end of January, when the Campbell cutter offloaded the seized drug hauls at Port Everglades. 

The suspects will now be prosecuted federally by the Department of Justice, according to the Coast Guard.

“I am incredibly proud of Campbell’s crew,” said Cmdr. Jonathan Harris, the commanding officer of the ship, in a statement. “We overcame many obstacles to stand vigilant watches away from our loved ones during the holiday season and worked tirelessly to prevent transnational criminal organizations from harming our communities by seizing tons of narcotics that will no longer cross our maritime borders. More importantly, we contributed to the cycle of justice by ensuring dozens of suspected drug traffickers will stand trial in the United States.”  

Campbell’s crew was deployed to support the military’s Joint Interagency Task Force, a coordinated effort between multiple U.S. agencies and other nations to address illicit drug trafficking in certain areas. The Coast Guard said the organization aims to “dismantle transnational criminal organizations while reducing the flow of drugs to the public.”

In addition to carrying out its main mission, the crew of the Campbell also provided care to two survivors of a search and rescue operation during their time in the Caribbean and Eastern Pacific, the Coast Guard said. The agency did not share details about the rescue.