U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Calhoun offloaded approximately 19,055 pounds of cocaine and marijuana at Port Everglades in Florida on Friday, according to a service news release.

The contraband is worth an estimated $140.9 million and was the result of five interdictions in the Atlantic Ocean and Caribbean Sea by interagency partners.

The resulting criminal investigations are linked to substantial amounts of transnational criminal organizations, including the foreign terrorist organization, Tren de Aragua, the Coast Guard said.

“I’m incredibly proud of Calhoun’s role in continuing to disrupt the flow of illicit narcotics,” said Capt. Matthew Hammond, Calhoun’s commanding officer. “The Coast Guard and our partners work tirelessly to deny drug trafficking organizations access to smuggling routes bound for the United States and dismantle transnational criminal activity abroad, which threaten Americans here at home.”

Assisting the Calhoun with interdiction operations were: Joint Interagency Task Force-South; Seventh Coast Guard District watchstanders; and USCG Tactical Law Enforcement Team-South.

On May 7, a military patrol aircraft located two suspicious vessels approximately 155 miles off Dominican Republic. Calhoun’s crew intercepted both vessels, seizing approximately 3,580 pounds of cocaine.

On May 6, Calhoun’s crew intercepted a suspicious vessel approximately 85 miles off Haiti. A law enforcement crew stopped the vessel, seizing approximately 3,135 pounds of cocaine and 14 pounds of marijuana.

On May 5, a military patrol aircraft located a suspicious vessel approximately 80 miles off Dominican Republic. Calhoun’s crew intercepted the vessel, seizing approximately 825 pounds of cocaine.

On May 1, a military patrol aircraft located a suspicious vessel approximately 100 miles off Colombia. A Coast Guard law enforcement detachment deployed on USS Minneapolis Saint Paul interdicted the vessel, seizing approximately 1,500 pounds of cocaine.

On April 12, the Calhoun’s crew, under tactical control of Coast Guard Atlantic Area, detected a suspicious fishing vessel in international waters exhibiting behavior consistent with narcotic trafficking approximately 1,200 miles west of Las Palmas, Canary Islands. The crew intercepted the suspicious vessel, seizing approximately 10,000 pounds of cocaine.

previous coverage

• US Coast Guard Cutter Kimball nabs 20K pounds of cocaine in Pacific
• USS Minneapolis-Saint Paul seizes $12 million worth of drugs in the Caribbean Sea
• US Coast Guard cutter offloads nearly $510 million worth of narcotics at Port Everglades
• Over half a billion dollars worth of cocaine offloaded in Fort Lauderdale by Coast Guard
• Coast Guard Cutter Waesche offloads $275 million of cocaine
• US Coast Guard ship seizes over 5,000 pounds of hashish in Arabian Sea bust