U.S. Coast Guard Seizes $63M in Cocaine After Shootout
From Red Voice Media
Article By RAY DIETRICH, Original Publish Date: JUNE 9, 2024
Shootout Sinks Suspected Smuggling Boat Near Venezuela
The U.S. Coast Guard made headlines on Thursday as it offloaded more than 4,800 pounds of cocaine, valued at over $63 million, at a port in Florida. This major bust was the result of two intense operations off the coast of Puerto Cabello, Venezuela, where a shootout at sea led to the sinking of a suspected drug smuggling boat and its crew.[twitter-code url="https://twitter.com/USCGSoutheast/status/1798790969979961755"]
The operations were carried out by a Royal Netherlands Navy patrol boat, equipped with a U.S. Coast Guard law enforcement detachment and a helicopter interdiction tactical squadron.
The U.S. Coast Guard revealed in a social media post that the cocaine seizure and shootout in the Caribbean Sea occurred about a week after another significant offload. In San Diego, a separate Coast Guard crew offloaded $468 million worth of cocaine, a haul resulting from eight separate operations off the coasts of Mexico, Central America, and South America.
In a related press release, the U.S. Coast Guard and Dutch authorities announced the suspension of their search for missing persons following the high-seas shootout. This decision was made after extensive efforts to locate any survivors from the sunken vessel.
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