Seaman Conway wrapping a buddle of seized narcotics on the flight deck of the U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Escanaba at Port Everglades, Florida, Aug. 5, 2025. (Jessica Walker/U.S. Coast Guard)
The crew of the U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Escanaba offloaded 11,922 pounds of cocaine in Port Everglades, Fla., on Tuesday.
The haul is worth an estimated $88.2 million, according to a service news release. The seized drugs were transferred to partner agencies for accountability and destruction.
“The professionalism and cohesiveness of our team on board were the biggest contributors to our operational successes,” said Petty Officer 3rd Class Nadia Sands, an Operations Specialist in the cutter’s Combat Information Center. “This crew and command routinely embody the spirit of ‘One Team, One Dream,’ and that spirit will continue to drive us to achieving our goals of protecting our borders and countering transnational criminal actors in the region.”
The Coast Guard routinely patrols the eastern Pacific for smuggled drugs. The Pacific Area Tactical Law Enforcement Team and an embarked Coast Guard Helicopter Interdiction Tactical Squadron helped seize the shipment. The Joint Interagency Task Force-South and Southwest Coast Guard District staff were also involved in the operation.
Detecting and detaining illicit drug traffickers and their cargo at sea involves coordination from multiple teams, the Coast Guard said. Joint Interagency Task Force-South conducts the detection and monitoring of aerial and maritime transit of illegal drugs. The Coast Guard leads the operation and apprehends the smuggled goods if they are detected.