U.S. Coast Guard seizes 16 tons of cocaine

PORT EVERGLADES, Fla. (WPVI) -- The U.S. Coast Guard announced a massive anti-drug operation that lasted nearly a month and resulted in the seizure of 16 tons of cocaine.

The Coast Guard Law Enforcement Detachment (LEDET) team, comprised of Coast Guard and Canadian ships, seized the cocaine in a series of drug busts during a 26-day period. The drugs are worth an estimated $420 million.

The cocaine was seized from 17 ships operating in international waters along the coasts of Central and South America.

Officials said those coastal waters are known drug transit areas and therefore a number of agencies, including the U.S. Departments of Defense, Justice and Homeland Security, have stepped up to combat the problem.

The 16 tons of cocaine were offloaded at Port Everglades in Florida Tuesday morning.

RELATED

Coast Guard, Canada Navy seize 26 tons of cocaine in Pacific

1 of 9

Pallets containing more than 26 tons of cocaine worth at least $715 million sit on the flight deck of of 418-foot Coast Guard Cutter Hamilton, Thursday, Dec. 15, 2016.

AP Photo/Lynne Sladky

Report a typo to the ABC13 digital staff